Richard Mayhew, American (1934 - )

  In trying to understand the source of Richard Mayhew’s artistic gift, we acknowledge several sources: a grandmother who instilled in him a reverence for land and sea and the sense that he had unlimited potential; his pride in his African-American and Long Island Shinnecock Indian heritage; the fact that his ancestors were involved in the Underground Railroad; an involvement with the Spiral Group, organized by fellow socially conscious Black artists trying to make advances during the civil rights movement; his love of music, jazz in particular; and the time spent traveling the country observing the ever-changing landscape, from his native Amityville, a small hamlet on Long Island, to his adopted California.

His biography reads like this: formal education at four schools; he has lived in numerous cites in the U.S. and Europe; has taught at several universities; has initiated innovative art programs in a number of places, he has received numerous honors; and there is a long list of collectors both private and institutional.

Richard Mayhew is an independent artist whose work sums up his wide-ranging experiences