June 2027 Artist of the Month: Richard Goff
Exhibit Title: Some Colorful Paintings to Make You Smile
Richard Goff uses color, line and simplified forms to create paintings that invite a sense of joy, curiosity and personal interpretation. This exhibition includes a variety of his work over time in gouache and ink on watercolor paper.
Goff has ben painting in water media for more than 40 years. He creates unique and interpretive landscapes, forms, and figures which are rendered in bright hues of gouache, tied together by a background of black ink. He enjoys exploring new subject matter and techniques of application, but the choice and use of color are what make painting an expressive, energizing pastime for him. His north star is to strive for integrity of craft and his goal is to produce artwork that always finds its best home.
He is a Signature Member of the Virginia Watercolor Society, a juried member of Potomac Valley Watercolorists, a Signature Member and Great Lakes Fellow of the Michigan Watercolor Society. Over the years, he has had featured artist exhibitions in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan Hospital main corridor, Catherine McCauley Health Center, and Concordia University. In Kalamazoo, he has had solo shows at Western Michigan University and Pfizer Corporation Headquarters. In Virginia, he has been featured at Falls Church Arts Space and Falls Church City Hall, as well as at the Arts Depot Spotlight Gallery in Abingdon. In 2024, he had a solo exhibition at the Village Arts Factory in Canton, MI, and was chosen by Creative Washtenaw’s Power Art program to have an image on permanent display in downtown Ann Arbor at the corner of Packard Road and South Main Street.
His paintings have appeared in 24 juried state shows, many regional juried and solo exhibitions in Michigan and Virginia, and in the 2009 National Watercolor Society All Member Show in San Pedro, CA. Corporate art collections have acquired his paintings along with hundreds of private collectors. He is a regular participant in The Sunday Artisan Market at Kerrytown, the West Side Art Hop, and Kindlefest in Ann Arbor. In Michigan, he has work for sale at Ann Arbor’s Gutman Gallery and Northville’s Dancing Eye Gallery.
Artist Statement
I’m an artist on the front line, you might say. For the past six years, I’ve participated as a vendor at the Sunday Artisan Market at Kerrytown in Ann Arbor. Those Sundays are special because they give me the opportunity to meet and talk about my art with people literally from around the world. Each Sunday is a unique experience; each time I learn something new about customers, human nature, retail sales, my art, and myself. How do I best approach a potential customer? Do I have a clear and effective way to describe my work? How do I respond to feedback and questions of all kinds? How do I display and price my work? When should I offer my work as a gift?
In recent years, I’ve also begun to participate in art fairs and similar events in Ann Arbor and around the state of Michigan. I’ve started to record some of the comments I’ve received from people who’ve visited my booth when I’ve set up to sell. “These paintings make me happy!” “These paintings tickle my eyes.” “Vivid and harmonious colors.” “Enchanted by your use of color and whimsy.” “This kind of imagery touches my heart.” “Your paintings make me smile. The colors are uplifting.” And from a nurse at the University of Michigan Hospital: “These bright colors wake up my eyes. The rounded shapes are welcome relief from the sharp severity of medicine. They remind me to get into the real world ASAP.”
I found a theme in these collective comments, and I chose it for the title of this show. In the process, it also made me realize why I’m driven to create my art. I paint to be remembered, and I’d like to be remembered with a smile.