When Paul Richmond’s parents made the phone call to local artist Linda Regula in search of an art instructor for their talented son, and Linda agreed to mentor the boy much too young for her usual classes, none of them had any idea they were forging a friendship that would last for twenty three years.  What the three adults did know was that little Paul was exhibiting an extraordinary interest and talent in art. Paul took private lessons from Linda for two hours each week from the age of three through high school and even college.  “She quickly became more than just a mentor to me.”  Paul said.  “She also became my role model and best friend.” 

On September 1^st, the 26 year old artist opened his show “Paul Richmond’s 23 Year retrospective:  Celebrating the Lifelong Legacy of Mentorship” at the Legend Gallery located inside the Zanesville Artists Colony on Elberon Street.  The opening reception was from 6:00-8:00 p.m. and was well attended. The collection includes samples of his work from age 4 through the present and gives the viewer a unique opportunity to share the journey of this successful artist as he honed his craft and learned to express himself through art.  The collection will be on display throughout the month of September.

Paul credits his mentor, Linda, with instilling in him the confidence to dream big.  At four years old he won first place at the Arts in the Alley Youth Art Exhibition.  “I used the $25 winnings to purchase a toy typewriter so I could ‘make books’.” While attending the Columbus College of Art and Design, he began taking classes in illustration to pursue this dream. To date, Mr. Richmond has illustrated eight children’s books for Seedling Publications, is an Image Editor for McGraw Hill Books and illustrated the nationally syndicated comic strip produced by American Greetings called “The Meaning of Lila”.

The real benefit of Linda’s mentorship to Paul is best illustrated by the young artist’s experiences during adolescence.  Paul explained that by the time he was in the fourth grade he had begun to realize that he wasn’t like his classmates.  Not only was he about a foot taller than the other kids, he was much more interested in writing and painting than sports or trends and while his peers were listening to rap, he loved Dolly Parton and Trisha Yearwood.  He attended an art opening for Linda at about this time and while he listened to her presentation addressing the deeply personal meanings behind some of her paintings, he knew he also had a story to tell.  He began working with Linda to express more of his ideas in his work.  The first painting he made was called “The Piece that Doesn’t Fit”.  Included in his show at Legend Gallery, this haunting painting depicts a partially completed puzzle in primary colors, each piece decorated with stylized stick figures of happy children playing, the one missing and miscut piece off to the side with a detailed sketch of the young artist.  He followed this painting illustrating the exclusion he felt at school with one entitled “The Passage” which dealt with his fears about growing up and making decisions about his future.

“Linda guided me in the creation of these works and others, helping me build a visual vocabulary to express my feelings and use the creative process as a form of art therapy.”

By eighth grade Paul was teaching drawing, painting, writing and illustrating to children and adults through the Grove City Parks and Recreation Department.  Doing for others what his mentor has done for him, Paul continues to teach courses for the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus College of Art and Design and in his own home studio. He spent a year painting murals for corporate clients all over Ohio including the Columbus Center for Child and Family Advocacy.

As charming as he is talented, some of Paul’s work will be exhibited in prominent New York galleries in the fall of 2006 and he was recently chosen by the Ohio Art League for a solo exhibition in their gallery in the Short North in March 2007.  His future plans include an interest in theater set design, he’d like to continue to teach and Paul and his ultimate goal is still to write and illustrate his own books.