Colour, Texture and Depth

Ric Burkitt: Painter

A common thread running through the artists I’ve visited this year is the commitment to being a full-time artist after years of other work- even, or maybe especially, if it has still been in the creative sphere. In The Soul’s Code, James Hillman might have expressed it as returning to what one was always supposed to be- fulfilling destiny- or the acorn theory of intrinsic character.

Ric Burkitt has definitely followed his “daimon”, devoting himself to the artistic life, and going with the process wherever it takes him. After many years of working as a graphic designer followed by teaching Visual Arts at Stirling Business College, Ric opened his studio for MHOS in 2016, then in his words, got “really serious”.

Despite some down-time to build gardens, that journey has continued and expanded (along with studio space) and Ric is now not only well-known in the Hills but also further afield, with future representation at Yallingup Galleries in the works, as well as being a participant in many art shows around Perth, including Minnawarra Art in Armadale, the Kalamunda Art Awards, Ellenbrook Art Awards (where he was a winner in 2025) and last year’s very successful Far Horizons solo exhibition at Mundaring Arts Centre.

Currently Ric is in thrall to abstract landscape, enjoying experimenting with layers of texture and colour, using squeegees and palette knives, adding and subtracting, layering and scraping, happy to be surprised with the finished work. We chatted about his use of underpainting, where a thin layer of colour is applied to the whole canvas, eliminating the ‘blank page’ effect and also helping to create harmony in the finished work. Using a warm yellow or red and allowing some of the underpainting to be visible provides cohesion or contrast as desired, especially when combined with his favoured gorgeous cerulean blue- lovely!

Ric is inspired by the vastness and colours of our country, and some of his recent work stems from the perspective of a traveller, where straight lines echo looking through a windscreen as the landscape goes by. I was lucky to spend an hour with Ric talking about his work and truly appreciate his generosity, drive and enthusiasm as he showed me around his studio and home.

If you’re looking for paintings with colour, texture and depth check out Ric’s work at:

https://www.ricburkittstudio.com/copy-of-art-cv

https://www.instagram.com/ric_burkitt/

https://www.facebook.com/ricburkittstudio