Richard H. Probert

I started my formal education by studying classical drawing technique in my teens. Later, I acquired a BFA with concentration in sculpture. Finally, I met and studied with Gary David Hoffmann in his atelier. He taught me the traditional painting methods he had learned from R.H. Ives Gammell (a student of Decamp, Tarbell and Paxton). I learned how to draw and to paint by careful observation and depiction of nature, not by following formulas.

I have been producing my oil paintings in plein air continuously since the 1970s. I do not work from photos. Rather, I return to a painting site numerous times, under the same light and weather conditions, developing my paintings well beyond the sketch level. Thus, my larger landscapes will seldom exhibit the sketchy look often associated with plein air work, though sometimes I employ broken color or brushwork to enhance a subject. I also do sketches and quick on-site studies, some of which are offered here.

I use no color formulas. Instead, while working on site, I carefully observe the scene before depicting its hues on canvas as they appear to the eye. I try to create paintings uniquely different, often seeking out the subtle variations in color gradation and tone. My art reveals the serene beauty of a certain place and time - a beauty often unnoticed by the hurried passer-by.

A list of exhibition locations follows – it is non-comprehensive and arranged by categories 

Galleries

The Generous Critic Gallery, Grosse Pointe, MI
Willis Gallery, Detroit, MI
The Detroit Artist’s Market, Detroit, MI
Morseburg Gallery, West Hollywood, CA
Hong Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
California Art Club Gallery, San Marino, CA
First Church Gallery, Springfield, MA
Gallery Gabrie, Pasadena, CA
The Millard Sheets Gallery, Pomona, CA
Calafia Gallery, Santa Ana, CA
Judson Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Mabel House Gallery, Mabel, GA
Olive Hyde Gallery, Freemont, CA
Hillcrest Art Center, Cambria, CA
VIVA Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Santa Ana Performing Arts and Events Center, Santa Ana, CA
Brown & Scurlock Galleries, Beaumont, TX
The Fine Artists Factory, Pasadena, CA
Carlotta’s Passion, Eagle Rock, CA
The San Marino Gallery, San Marino, CA
Circle Gallery, Annapolis, MD
Randy Higbee Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA

Museums

Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA
The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, CA
Springville Museum of Art, Springville, UT
Pasadena Historical Museum, Pasadena, CA
Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA
Historic Greystone Estate, Beverly Hills, CA
Mitchell Museum, Trinidad, CO
The Gambel House, Pasadena, CA
Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT

Art Organizations

California Art Club
Salmagundi Club
Academic Art Association
Audubon Artists Association
Oil Painters of America, National Exhibitions and Western Regional Exhibitions
Hudson Valley Art Association
Louisville Arts Festival, Louisville, CO
Maryland Federation of Art
New Mexico Art League
North Valley Art League
Cheyenne Artists Guild
Echoes & Visions, Laguna Niguel, CA
Valley Institute of Visual Arts, Los Angeles, CA
South Cobb Art Alliance
Costa Mesa Art League
Beaumont Art League 

Schools, Colleges & Universities

Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Lewis & Clark, Lewiston, ID
Washington and Jefferson University, PA
Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, La Canada Flintridge, CA

Corporations

The Oakland Mall, Southfield, MI
Mike Young Productions, Woodland Hills, CA
First American Bank, South Pasadena, CA
SRF Publishers, Los Angeles, CA
The Artists Inn, South Pasadena, CA
The Frame House, Studio City, CA 

Foundations

Newington-Cropsey Foundation, NY
Grosse Pointe War Memorial Association, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI

Others

Detroit Public Library, Detroit, MI
The Ebell Club, Los Angeles, CA
Women’s Twentieth Century Club, Eagle Rock, CA
Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA
La Casita del Arroyo, Pasadena, CA
Eminent Reclaim, South Pasadena, CA
Eagle Rock Community Center, Los Angeles, CA
Michigan State Fair, Detroit, MI
Los Angeles County Fair, Pomona, CA
The Eagle Rock Association, Eagle Rock, CA
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, CA
Pasadena City Hall, Pasadena, CA
South Pasadena Public Library, South Pasadena, CA