Richard Hearns is an Irish painter working in the Burren, County Clare. He is known for both his figurative still life paintings and large-scale gestural abstractions, where composition, materiality, and mark-making take centre stage.
His practice is rooted in physicality, driven by a need to connect and leave an impression of life energy. A background in representational painting informs his abstract work, which balances discipline with spontaneity. Charcoal lines carve space, enclose shapes, and create movement, while subtle framing devices and carefully structured compositions guide the viewer’s eye.
Born in Beirut in 1980 and adopted into Ireland, Hearns carries a dual heritage that shapes his artistic identity. His work exists between cultures and histories, forming a unique visual language influenced by the landscape in which he now creates. The Burren’s raw, ancient presence acts as both setting and source, its rhythms echoing in the flow of his gestures.
Hearns’ paintings evoke a sense of wonder and possibility, offering a visceral experience that connects the viewer to something larger. His intention is to create works that enrich lives visually, emotionally, and creatively, engaging with the fundamental act of creation itself.
In his most recent body of paintings, Hearns has been exploring the concept of thresholds through imaginary landscapes, employing prismatic colour to evoke realms felt beyond the everyday.