Richard Calver

Richard Calver was born in Oxfordshire, England in 1946. At the age of nineteen Calver immigrated to

Canada, settling in Quadra, B.C. The turning point in his life came in his thirties when he met the well

known print maker Sybil Andrews. Inspired and encouraged by Sybil, Richard became more serious

about his art and soon purchased his own lino tools. Under her guidance Calver's style blossomed and

matured. Natural forms are the foundation of many of his most striking prints. As a part-time gardener,

botanical images seen in "Thistle", "Dandelion", "Sun Flowers", and "Skunk Cabbage" are favorite

subjects. The effect of movement, achieved through the use of strong diagonals and undulating lines, is

also an important component in all his compositions. Lino-cut prints are created through a laborious

process. As each colour is printed individually, each image may be printed from as many as four or five

blocks. Each block must be registered to align perfectly. We do not have any work in the collection

however he is significant as he was practising on the Gulf Islands and his association with Campbell River

artist Sybil Andrews.