The Art of Richard Cramer: Chapter 1

Richard Cramer:

His Life in Art

My husband, Richard Cramer, who devoted his life to making and teaching art, died on April 10, 2020. He was 87 and had contracted Covid-19. I have often written on this blog about our wonderful life over the span of our 54 years together.

I also want to create a testament to his art, because I believe he was a genius at what he did. For a decade, from 1970 to 1980, Richard made hundreds of color-field paintings, collages, drawings and prints using his proprietary color-mixing system. But do not jump to a conclusion that because he used a system, his work was not poetic. Because that's what it was. It was all about a sense of place. 

Richard grew up in Neenah, Wisconsin. His family owned a small farm which was bordered by a swamp formed by the backwaters of Lake Winnebago. Richard wrote: "There were many animals -- birds, mink and fish, whose shapes and skins were reflected in the light of the water. The integration of these forms in nature and their reflective light has been a constant source for me."

While in the Army, he looked at the static forms of mountains along the Arizona-Mexico border and took in the light of the desert. He said, "My art is based on instinctual response and the belief that light and color are most primal."

Richard in our studio at 39 North 10th Street, Philadelphia,

sometime in the early 70s. 

Prairie du Chien

Richard's first color-field painting completed in 1973.

This painting is 6 feet high by 12 feet long.

 It's comprised of two 6 foot squares placed side by side.

Acrylic on canvas.

 On the wall in the studio at 39 North 10th is 

a color study for Prairie du Chien.

The study consists of 4x5" swatches of "base colors".

Richard invented a color-mixing system to cross mix the

base colors in such a way to create the flairs of color in Prairie du Chien.

The painting is laying flat on a table in the foreground.

The Process

Behind the poetry is the process and Richard's was elaborate. His goal was to create "just noticeable differences" between colors. There are 6,000 different colors in Prairie du Chien. So instead of one absolute color, like you would see in a painting by Ellsworth Kelly, the multitude of colors distinguished by minute changes shimmer across the picture plane to evoke interpretations of light and ambience. 

The individual colors were contained within small, rectangular units. Each unit was taped off with masking tape which Richard had custom made for him in a specific width. The base colors provided the starting point for the color mixing. Once Richard created the formulas for the colors, an assistant actually mixed the paint. He then applied the paint to the canvas in two coats. This created a ridge which captured additional light.

Center: Nancy Anello who was Richard's studio assistant 

for Prairie du Chien.

Ed Fink is on the left and Richard is busy opening

a wine bottle. This must have been a Color Class review.

The Assistant: Nancy Anello 

Nancy Anello, who graduated from Tyler School of Art and Architecture in 1973, was Richard's assistant for Prairie du Chien. We have kept in touch with Nancy, and she sent me this remembrance of Richard:

"I became a painting major because of him. I loved the Color Course. He inspired me and countless other students. I loved working for him mixing colors from his huge catalogue of color swatches. He hired me to help him mix colors for Prairie du Chien, his first color field painting. That was a wonderful summer, working in Richard's studio and having wonderful meals together, that you prepared. I remember raspberries and cream for dessert and Richard rationing himself to only one Heineken, which he immensely enjoyed."

After graduating from Tyler, Nancy received her MFA degree from the San Francisco Art Institute. She became a master printer for Crown Point Press. Her own art work has always incorporated beautiful color. She is a color soul mate and has done hand-printed batik fabric and clothing inspired by her many years of living in Bali, Indonesia. An intrepid traveler, Nancy recently toured India and posted many color-inspired photos on Instagram @nancyanello.

Carol Markel in the 39 North 10th Street Studio.

Richard bought me the green Givenchy sweater at the

Tribout Shop in the John Wanamker department store.

We had more objects back then which we had fun collecting

at flea markets and the alleys of our neighborhood in Philly.

A Bientot!