WorkArt & Culture

Richard Combes ROI blurs what we believe is reality with his award-winning oil paintings

Richard Combes’ stunning oil paintings explore the relationship between architecture and people, examining the subtle dialogue created between space and the occupier.

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White cardboard box with black barcode labels lying on a weathered wooden floor with paint stains

The inclusion of a solitary figure, combined with the employment of intrusive perspective, plays with the bounds of personal space and the subject-object relation. Blank walls and abandoned objects are given a presence through detailed rendering and an association that is encouraged by the absence of human interaction.

Following his election as a full member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 2004, a feat which exemplifies his skill as an oil painter, Combes’ award-winning work has received international acclaim. Combes studied painting at the New York Academy of Art, graduating with a Master of Fine Art (cum laude). He previously studied architecture at the University of Liverpool, an influence which profoundly affects his work, demonstrating mastery of technique and material.

See new work by Richard Combes ROI at 2022nq Manchester from 7–15 June. See www.2022nq.co.uk/contact for directions.

Cramped bathroom interior with peeling cream walls, a small window with metal grille, exposed pipes, and a door handle visible on the right
Twelve blue spheres arranged in a 4x3 grid inside a cardboard egg carton mounted on a textured beige wall, oil painting by Richard Combes
A solitary figure stands in a long, narrow corridor with terracotta tile flooring, pale yellow walls and a large grid window at the far end, rendered in oil paint by Richard Combes
Weathered brick wall with boarded-up window featuring rusted metal plate, peeling paint and deteriorating plaster in muted tones
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