Richard Calver
(1946)
Available Artwork by Richard Calver
Richard Calver was born in Oxfordshire, England in 1946. At the age of nineteen Calver immigrated to Canada, settling in Quadra, B.C. The turning point in his life came in his thirties when he met the well known print maker Sybil Andrews. Inspired and encouraged by Sybil, Richard became more serious about his art and soon purchased his own lino tools. Under her guidance Calver's style blossomed and matured.
Natural forms are the foundation of many of his most striking prints. As a part-time gardener, botanical images seen in "Thistle", "Dandelion", "Sun Flowers", and "Skunk Cabbage" are favorite subjects. The effect of movement, achieved through the use of strong diagonals and undulating lines, is also an important component in all his compositions. Lino-cut prints are created through a laborious process. As each colour is printed individually, each image may be printed from as many as four or five blocks. Each block must be registered to align perfectly. Printing one individual image (of which there may be an edition of fifty or sixty prints) can take as long as a day. Calver continues to live and work from his home on Quadra Island.