A former athlete-turned-artist leads a community hub for Black Austinites to flourish.

Words by Deven Wilson | Photos by Eric Morales

After a football career, Richard Samuel returned to Texas to pursue coaching, while dabbling in art as a hobby. Finding himself unhappy in his career pivot, he discovered that he had his life path mapped out all wrong. Football is now the pastime, while art is his true passion and career pursuit.

From drawing up plays to painting watercolors to murals, and more, Richard’s studio swiftly turned into a communal hub for artists. He only set out to have a space to make art, teach classes, and host a jazz night but soon discovered that he was the only Black-owned art gallery in the city. He later found that he was only one of two in the entire state of Texas. “I feel like I have this responsibility to provide space and culture,” Richard states, recalling his discovery of this staggering number. “So… I changed those individual goals into what I could do for the community, and the space [blew] up.”

Instantly, RichesArt Gallery became a gathering space, hosting shows for local artists, especially those of color in addition to his own works. He admits, “[Initially,] I felt like it was pretentious putting my art into my gallery.” Richard elaborates, “It got to this point where everybody was like, ‘Richard, put your art up; we want to see what you do.’” He accepted the fact that he was just as worthy to display his art as everyone else he hosted in the gallery. Eventually, RichesArt expanded into the studio next door, and quickly Richard was able to take it over with his work as well as showcasing other’s art.

Exhibiting his incredible knack for watercolors, the gallery walls perch his skills and fill the large industrial space. Each of his paintings exudes a use of boundaries as the fluid nature of watercolor paint is firmly set in place for key aspects of each work. His Goddess series plays off this technique with soft ombre hues juxtaposing the more rigid lines used to define the life in each portrait while the wash and blooms subtly add shadow and depth. It’s a style that serendipitously reflects his gallery too.

His space has a firm boundary, not just defined by the structure but by the space’s utilization as a studio, classroom, gallery, clothing printer, and venue. Yet, all of these set expectations of use bleed together in how they’re experienced. Jazz patrons network with artists while first-time visitors to the gallery soon come back with expressive art inspired by their experiences at Riches. Fostering community is an art form, and Richard, despite having no intention of becoming a community hub, is rising as a master in it.

Contact:
richesart.com
gallery@richesart.com
2511 E 6th St., Unit A
@richesartgallery