After completing his service in the army in 1964, Richard Abarno was able to attend Parsons School of Design in New York. Employed as a graphic designer in agencies and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Richard switched to advertising and corporate photography which he did for some forty or more years. When Richard moved from Rhode Island to Durango, Colorado, he started drawing and illustrating again.  Might have been the altitude. Back to New England about 12 years ago, Richard started to experiment with sculptures and for the most part consider this phase of creativity self-taught. Richard will say doing them is the most enjoyable of all and he is not sure where the ideas come Richard, but he does have an ever-growing sketchbook.

Richard has created over two hundred sculptures and hopes to keep doing them until he no longer can. His hope is that they will bring others joy and stretch one’s imaginations. Richard tends not to use found objects since they have a different tempo to the self-made objects. Materials used include wood, clay, paper, metal and an occasional feather or two. Richard has received Awards form the Society of Illustrators NY annual show and publications, Society of LA annual awards show, Newport Museum of Art, Print Magazine annual, 3×3 Magazine of Illustration rewards annual, and Westerly Artist Coop regional show award.  Richard’s work is exhibited in galleries in the New England area, New York and Japan and his work is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.