
RICK J. DELANTY

ARTIST BIO
Rick J. Delanty is a Californian by birth and in spirit, finding in this state a love for nature and wonder of Creation which he has continued to explore in his colorful and expressive oil and acrylic landscape paintings. Rick is a national award-winning artist in plein air competitions around the West, and in exhibitions across the United States, including the California Art Club’s Gold Medal show. He has practiced his craft professionally over forty years, painting from Big Sur to Niagara Falls, and teaching and demonstrating in a variety of venues. His work is in the permanent collection of two prominent museums, with twenty-seven paintings in one of the largest private collections of California art in the nation. Feature articles concerning his work have appeared in many national publications, as well as a book he authored entitled “Beauty Unites Us.” Rick is affiliated with several professional organizations: he is a Signature member of The American Impressionist Society, the American Society of Marine Artists, National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn., among others. Mood, movement, and mystery in the artist's search for beauty, inspire the artist wherever he paints in the world. His desire to share his discoveries, through both painting and teaching, have led him on a journey that has been the most rewarding, and the most fulfilling. Art has been the vehicle that has enabled him to travel there.
Rick J. Delanty's Artist Statement:
What really inspires me about painting the landscape is the physical evidence of God’s supernatural presence in it. His power, creativity, and truth expressed in nature excites me with wonder, mystery, and hope for a better world than man can make. It is the spirit behind the appearance that quickens my heart to paint, to capture the vibrancy of life that may disappear almost as soon as it is apprehended.
I know that my life will not be long enough to paint all that I have planned or desire to create. For now, for today, it is enough to work, both inside and out, on the vision that God has given me: to express the beautiful wherever I find it. My job is to express God’s Creation in my own work—and I love doing that.

CURATOR'S COMMENTS
Rick J. Delanty has a spiritual connection with nature. His best works communicate his awe for the vastness and beauty of the landscape. Painting plein air requires introspection in the contemplation of the natural world. Like many a great naturalist, Rick finds celebrating nature's beauty quiets his mind and centers him. With a quiet mind one can get a glimpse of just how minute the little bit of the world we see is, and how quick the span of one life in the vast unfolding of the universe can be.
Rick is well known for his beautiful nocturnes, spending many days and nights outside on his artistic and spiritual journey. He loves the journey and has an evangelist's zeal to share the joy with others.