Rickard Studios

Robert Rickard's contemporary home in the mountains above Taos, New Mexico can be characterized by infinite peace and silence. Except, of course, when he is in his spacious studio next door; then the sounds of tools working steel and aluminum reverberate across the valley.

Rickard's work is incredibly vivid and yet very natural. The colors are reminiscent of the sunsets over the Rio Grande Gorge, which he sees from his studio. It is in that bright, airy studio that Rickard creates memorable pieces which harness the myriad properties of metals: their rigidity, their pliability, and their essential chemical make-up.

His is a scientific approach. After using a hand-held plasma cutter to carve his designs into the base metal, each sculpture is then coated with other metals; typically copper, bronze, and iron. Each of these metals reacts differently to the chemical patinas and dye oxides with which the pieces are finished, creating a rich palette of hues.

He works meticulously, always learning and educating himself about new materials and finishes.