The talented marine painter Richard Firth was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1971, and grew up in Hull, England, with his father and two brothers. He taught himself to paint dynamic paintings of race cars, before being given marine art instruction from Brian May. May introduced Firth to the marines of Stephen Renard and Stephen Dews, two artists who highly influenced Firth’s artistic direction to realism.
As an ardent student of art and ships, the artist developed his painting techniques after finding inspiration from the canvases of John Wilson, Carmichael (1799-1868) Thomas Somerscales (1842-1927) and Montague Dawson (1895-1973). More important, he became a keen observer of all types of boats and ships as they glided through water on the high seas, and he became an avid sailor who understands how weather conditions alter the way a ship sits upon or moves through active seas.
Richard Firth is recognized as a leading marine painter worldwide. Firth sailed as a mate across the South Atlantic Ocean on the winning 68-foot racing clipper yacht Gold Coast, from Rio De Janiero to Cape Town in 2011. This experience gave him the opportunity to observe ships as they sail in all weather conditions. The 3,390-mile race across the South Atlantic Ocean was one of the most challenging experiences of the artist’s life. Conditions were harrowing, with waves crashing over the decks, but Firth loved every minute of the race and he became a professional yachtsman who developed a profound understanding of ships at sea.
