After 55 years away. Stanley-born artist Richard Lynn stages his first North-East exhibition

A STANLEY-BORN artist, who moved to Canada in 1960, is bringing his work back to his home region for the first time, for an exclusive exhibition at Durham Cathedral.

Richard Lynn Studham’s exhibition, A Paragon of Chivalry, is based around the theme of medieval chivalry and will be on display in Durham Cathedral as part of the Cathedral’s celebrations of the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta.

Richard, who will be bringing the exhibition over from Canada himself, studied at Sunderland College of Art and Design in the early 1950s before training at the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Copenhagen. It was in 1960 that he decided to emigrate from the UK and take up a teaching post in Montreal, Canada, where he became a Professor of Education in the Arts at McGill University. Following his retirement in 2005, Richard was awarded Emeritus Professor in recognition of devoted and meritorious service.

Alongside his academic role, Richard has always worked as a professional artist and was elected to the Society of Canadian Artists in 1970. For many years he specialised in clay work, using Raku, a Japanese primitive firing technique, before developing specially researched glazes, which he also used on his larger, more sculptural pieces. But Richard says: “While I loved working with clay, I wanted to keep working on my painting and drawing skills too, in order to maintain the foundation skills that have influenced all my creative aspirations. So in time, experimenting with mixed media, my montages evolved and in 2011, having decided to revisit the theme of Medieval Spirituality, A Paragon of Chivalry emerged, using mixed media involving wood, paper, Styrofoam and foam board as well as various metals.”

The themes addressed by Richard’s work made it an ideal exhibition to stage during the Magna Carta 800 celebrations, but Richard says the fact that his work ties in with the anniversary wasn’t part of a pre-defined plan. He explained: “This body of work was formulated in 2011, so it is entirely coincidental that the work is being displayed at the same as the cathedral’s Magna Carta is also on display. Although, the thematic influence of medieval chivalry became interwoven with the historic presence of the Magna Carta, it was not difficult to correlate the two in the final presentation, to make A Paragon of Chivalry an appropriate addition to the viewing of the Magna Carta.

“Medieval chivalry prior to and following the Magna Carta was an integral part of aristocratic society. Knights of this time were expected to gain acknowledgement and reputation for their chivalric contributions by participating in societal activities. Prowess in tournament and combat, tactical and strategic acumen was also all important to the knight’s stature.

“In A Paragon of Chivalry I am utilizing imagery depicting a pertinent aspect or occurrence in this period of time. The information is applied in a contemporary visual format challenging an element of creativity, without losing the intent of the immediate depicted chivalric theme.”

As a professional artist, Richard has exhibited worldwide and many of his works are held in public and private collections in Asia, Australia, Europe, Scandinavia, North, Central and South America. Having previously exhibited in the 1960s and 1970s in Newcastle and Birmingham, he says at this point in his career he’d always had a desire to exhibit in his homeland.

“Being originally from County Durham and having started my artistic career at Sunderland it was always my intention to bring my work full circle and back to Durham. I must admit growing up in and around Durham, surrounded by medieval history was an integral part in establishing a point of departure for my work. Considering the nature of this work it seemed fitting that Durham Cathedral would be the appropriate venue,” he says/

Richard’s exhibition comprises 13 pieces, which will be on display in The Galilee Chapel from Tuesday, August 25 to Sunday, September 20. For more information about Richard’s work visit rlstudham.com or for details of upcoming exhibitions at Durham Cathedral go to durhamcathedral.co.uk/whatson