Commissioned Works

This includes work for the Admiralty during the War. Afterwards, commissions continued to flood in. Oxbridge Universities, Eton College, the Coronation, Churchill being given the Freedom of the City, then Esso, Shell Guides and The Post Office. Lord Montagu admired his work and commissioned several pictures. Evelyn Waugh asked for a quirky picture of the interior of a plane about to crash....but Richard was glad when he felt he could make a living without this sort of work.

Solent, Beaulieu River (1965)

oil on canvas - 100h x 126w (cm)

After buying this painting Lord Montagu asked Richard to paint a launch coming out of the river into the Solent. In the distance is Hurst Castle and a hint of the Isle of Wight opposite. There is a general holiday atmosphere.

The Pleasures of Travel, 1951 (1952)

oil on canvas - 50.8h x 63.5w (cm)

Evelyn Waugh owned two pictures called The Pleasures of Travel 1751 and another representing 1851. The common theme was an ironic twist to the title as they were all disasters. Richard's picture of a plane about to crash completed a trilogy.

Robin Hood's Bay in Wartime (1940)

oil on canvas - 63.5h x 76.2w (cm)

This was a trial commission from the Admiralty to test Richard’s ability. The village seems to be its usual sleepy self but there is a hint that things are not quite the same as usual with the presence of uniformed men, one appearing to carry a gun.