People often see different things to me in my work, but most say that it evokes seas, skies and rivers. That is not surprising, as my whole life has been based around water- first Portsmouth, then the muddy rivers of Suffolk, and now the Wye Valley and Newport Wetlands. I always holiday by the sea, and most days I sit and stare at the sky above Monmouth. I have my camera with me always and use the photographs to inform my work- so the marks and colours in my art start very definitely with Nature.

This is the starting point, but I never truly know where my work is heading and so the results often surprise me, taking me to a new place. Hopefully, the Inscapes I create encourage the viewer to see the unseen or trigger memories of places been.

Press release about The Smithfield Gallery Exhibition

Monmouth based artist, Richard Corbett, has always been inspired by Nature, especially the vast open spaces carved by the rivers and seas. Until 2005 he lived on the Suffolk Heritage Coast, where he created abstract prints and drawings based on the reedbeds and mudflats on the Rivers Alde and Ore. The River Wye and its steep slopes were quite a contrast and assimilating them into his work was quite difficult. It seemed fate that he eventually discovered the Newport Wetlands.

When the RSPB took him on board, deciding to work closely with him towards his first major solo exhibition in London, they suggested that the Newport Wetlands should be the focus of his work.

“I was filled with joy when I first set foot on the paths round the reedbeds on what was clear sunny Winter’s day, with a breeze in the air and the light dazzling off the mud in the estuary- a perfect place for me to work.”

In the short time since Richard started work on this collection for the exhibition in London, he has created some stunning pieces that have captured the spirit of the wetlands. The new works have been received with great acclaim by bird lovers, art buyers and volunteers at the Centre.

“Newport Wetlands has a unique magic. All I can try to do is express what I feel about it in my paintings and my prints. I feel very fortunate to be able to share these with the public and to use them to raise money for the education of others about this special place.”