Richard NIEWERTH

fine artist

"I have been painting and exhibiting regionally, nationally, and internationally for about 50 years. My work has been widely exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibits and is included in numerous private and public collections. My view of Landscape goes beyond the 19th century vision of the untouched natural world; it includes the spaces and alterations which mankind has created for himself. I am an active practitioner of the art of people watching. In my Painting, I explore my interest in the realm of non-verbal communications commonly known as body language. More precisely how we view and respond to those around us. Psychologists tell us that our perceptions of others are influenced by many and varied factors; demeanor, dress, prejudices and our own past experiences. When confronting strangers in public spaces, we may vilify certain individuals as being unsavory while to others we may attribute heroic qualities. In response to our perceptions of others we initiate what I call, the dance of self-awareness in which we seek, through body language, the appropriate outward projections as a means of dealing with the common space we are forced to share. When looking at my paintings the viewer is invited to respond to the body language of the players and form their own narrative."

Biography

Richard Niewerth, born in Baltimore, MD, earned a BFA in Painting from Maryland Institute College of Art in 1967 and an MA from the University of Maryland in 1969. Niewerth started his career in the Visual Arts by teaching at Anne Arundel Community College in the Spring of 1970. While serving as Art Department Chair for 18 years, he developed an art major program and initiated most of the art courses currently offered at the College. He introduced computers into the Art program to be used as an art tool. During his tenure at the college, he continued to pursue his painting career which led to exhibiting his works on a regional, national, and international level. In 1987, he traveled to Rio de Janeiro to exhibit his work through his affiliation with The Partners of the Americas group. In 1990 and again in 1992, Niewerth introduced travel study in to the Art Program taking a group of students to Arundel, England for an extended stay to paint England’s diverse landscapes. In addition to his many solo and group exhibits, his paintings are included in a number of permanent collections including Maryland State Senate Building, The Permanent College of Maryland Artists at Towson State University, Delaware Museum of Art, Do Museu Nactional de Belas Artes and Do Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Niewerth was chosen in 2001 to complete a painting of the US Capitol Building for the Official 2001 National Independence Day Celebration Commemorative Poster sponsored by Lockheed Martin. Posters were presented to all members of the US Congress and the President’s Cabinet. In 2007, Niewerth received the National NISOD Excellence in Teaching Award. Niewerth was awarded Emeritus status after his retirement in 2009 for his 39 years of service to Anne Arundel Community College. In 2011, he received the Visual Arts “Annie Award” from the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County and a second time recipient of the Tilghman Perpetual Award from the Maryland Federation of Art in Annapolis, MD. In addition to continually producing art, he is active in the Maryland Federation of Art Exhibition Committee and the Gallery Committee of Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis, Maryland.