Leonard RICHMOND
The artist was born in Somerset, and studied at Taunton and Chelsea Polytechnic. In WWI he was the Canadian Government war artist and in 1925 was commissioned to promote rail and hotel facilities through poster art in western Canada, by the Canadian Pacific Railway. His large colourful posters adveritising the region and the Canadian Rockies were much admired, and he worked for the English railways as well.
During the 1930s he visited St Ives regularly, taking a studio there in 1932, setting up a summer painting school in 1935. He lived successively in Brentford (1912), Southall (1914), London (1919), and was giving his address in Guildford in 1935.
He is one of the many artists who began work in West Cornwall at an earlier date, moved away and then returned to Cornwall at a later date, in his case, for three years from 1946 to 49.
Tovey's biography with photographs in Creating a Splash 2003 (pp156-8) is an excellent summary. A recent correspondent writes of her private collection (see Misc. below).
media
Painter in watercolour and oils of landscapes and figures, illustrator, poster designer, teacher and writer
works and access
Works include: The beach at St Malo ~oil on canvas ~19.5x24"; Street scene at St Malo ~oil on canvas ~24x19.5cm;
Access to Work: Government Art Col; Houses of Parliament; Imperial War Museum; Newport; QMDH; Worthing//Ottawa (Canadian War Museum)
17 paintings produced for Devon and Cornish Days, incl: Padstow; Boscastle; Tintagel; Cornish Cottages; A Cornish Landscape
Personal bibliography: Author of Series of six self-illustrated articles on 'Water-Colour' [in] The Artist, Mar-Aug 1931; Author of Series of five self-illustrated articles on 'Still Life Painting in Oil Colours' [in] The Artist, Sept, 1934- Jan (1935). Later, Editor of this magazine
exhibitions
Arlington; Cooling; FIN (56); GI; GOU (22); INT (21); NEAC; RA (20); RBA (171); RI; Ridley Art Club; ROI (47); STISA (1931-c1954 + Touring); Walker's (London)
memberships
RBA: (1914); ROI: (1919); STISA: (1931-c1954)
misc further info
'I don't know whether this is of any interest but we have three
oil paintings by Leonard Richmond; two of Ireland and one of Land's End in
Cornwall. They were purchased by my father in Canada in the 1950s and now
reside in Wellington New Zealand.'
[Ref: how art travels!]
references
Hardie (2009) Artists/Newlyn & West Cornwall pp342-3
Johnson & Greutzner
E P Leigh-Bennett (nd) Devon and Cornish Days, illus by L Richmond (col pls)
Newton et al Painting at the Edge
Tovey (2000) George Fagan Bradshaw - Submariner & Marine Artist, etc. STISA Principal members list p228; (2003) Creating a Splash (Illus); (2009) St Ives/ Social History (photo with students)
Whybrow (1994) St Ives
Wormleighton Morning Tide;