Last Call: Richard Kravitz, artist
The paintings of Richard Kravitz take the viewer into a world of parallel universes, seemingly stretching to infinity, yet grounded in finite numbers. Kravitz, who works with acrylic on canvas, begins with basic squares, building on the small and incremental to create both an inner and outer space, with each work 5 feet by 5 feet.
While art has long been a part of his life, in recent years, it’s become a means of transition, and transformation. Originally from Worcester, where he credits the late art teacher Paul Trippi for early instruction, Kravitz lived for many years in the San Francisco Bay area with his husband, Bill Montgomery.
Together, they ran a business providing online registrations for outdoor events and private functions, as well as overseeing community relations for San Francisco and Oakland Pride celebrations, and working with Pride events nationwide. But everything changed when Montgomery was diagnosed with cancer in 2000, and died in 2012. They had made a life together for 33 years.
Kravitz sold the business and moved back to Worcester. Although a member of several artists’ groups on social media, Kravitz, who looks forward to retiring soon, spends as much time as he can painting in his home studio. He recently spoke about art, grief, and painting as part of a life’s journey.
What kind of artistic media do you use?
I like to work in acrylics. That is what I have been doing, and that is what I always do, for too many years. (Laughs.) I’ll be 80 in November, and many years ago, I would paint pretty much what you are seeing now. And then, my husband got cancer, and everything went on hold. And then, after he passed, I moved back from California to Massachusetts to be near family. After I bought my condo, I said, “I need to paint, and as long as I’m buying this space, I need space to paint.” I’ve been painting again for seven years.
How did you get your start in painting?
I graduated from Massachusetts College of Art with a degree in painting, in 1976. That tells you just how old I am. And when I was painting in college, I was doing stain painting, which was my first love. (paint applied to a raw canvas, such as brushing in wet-on-wet, or pouring.) But stain paintings, by their nature of what they are, are usually very large. In college, when I was painting, it was 9 feet by 15 feet. You can’t do that unless you have the space for that, and I don’t, and didn’t when I was in college. So I put aside painting for a bit.
What is your process now?
All my paintings are based on a grid now. This all started with a doodle, and I said, “This is an interesting doodle.”
I did doodles on grids on colored pencils, which was like a million years ago. I sold those. My husband said, “Why don’t you try painting those?” And I did, and I enjoyed it very much. And then, life took over.
I moved back here, and I started painting again, and here we are. My main focus was color, and colored overlays.
Some of the paintings I’m doing now are about negatives. Some are intersections of colors, color overlays. I was painting mainly to make myself happy.
There’s “big A” art, which makes a political statement, trying to save the world, and little art, painting nice paintings. I’m not just trying to save the world. I just like to paint.
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Did you gravitate toward art in your upbringing?
I’d say, yes. In high school, I gravitated more to art. I went to Doherty. My teacher was Mr. Trippi. … from there, I went to Mass. College of Art.
It looks like most of the art you do is abstract. What draws you to that?
I can do realism. It doesn’t interest me very much. I am more of a “what if” painter. I’d say, “What if I did this, and how would it look? I think that is what draws me to abstraction.
Come up with an idea, see how it plays out, where it goes … I use different media: gloss media, iridescent, palette paint. I like to see what the paint will do for me, what the colors will do. That is what excites me … the results are not always what I thought I was going to come up with, but it usually satisfies me, and sometimes, I am more satisfied.
When you sell a painting, some artists tell me it’s hard to let go. Do you have that experience?
No, because painting is something I want to share. If someone likes my painting enough to buy it, if they enjoy my work, that is the best compliment I can get. It’s not like giving up a child. Yes, they are a part of me, but no, I don’t have a problem selling a piece of work. At this point, it gives me more space to work, because things pile up around here.
Are there any goals you have that you haven’t done yet?
I would like to do larger pieces. I don’t have the room. I would love to do a mural. That would be great. And in a few years’ time, I hope to have a show, and sell everything. That would be what I want. I want to paint as much as I can. I have reach a certain age, you don’t know how much time you have left. I want to spend it painting.
When your spouse died, did your art provide some balm in your life?
I would have to say no, because at the time of his passing, we were running his business. So, basically I had to pivot and take over. So, I didn’t have time to do any artwork, I until I left the Bay area, and moved back to Worcester, and got out of the business, and kind of settled down. So, art became a release after the grieving period. That is when I think I turned to art, to fill the void.
Since you moved back, you have a community of artists here?
I, as some artists, live a pretty solitary life … I think, once again, it has a lot do with the fact that I’m working. I should be going to ArtsWorcester gatherings, and things like that. I just don’t. Once home, it takes an act of God to get me out of here. (Laughs.) I think, like a lot of artists, once I start painting, I don’t go anywhere. I just want to paint. Once I retired, things will change, and I will become more involved in that.
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