'After 7 Years and Later' - The Art of Richard Fitton

Dramatic art journey revealed in Whitaker Gallery exhibition

Visionary Oldham born artist, Richard Fitton is now working out of studios in Hyde with his latest exhibition on show.

Widely considered to be one of the most exciting young painters in the country, the 29-year-old has received much critical acclaim nationwide.

His latest exhibition, entitled ‘After 7 Years and Later’ is now showing at the Whitaker, and includes some of his very earliest works from when he was just 14-years-old right through to his latest creations from his Hyde studio.  

Since bursting onto the north-west art scene several years ago, he has gone on to establish a much wider reputation thanks to a series of high profile exhibitions.

The latest includes his newest works but also a number of paintings on loan from private collections throughout the UK.

Richard, a former student at Oldham College, discovered art and drawing at around the age of just seven-years-old.

Touring his latest exhibition he admits that as a child he was hyperactive and struggled to communicate.

“I struggled with speech at a young age and talked gibberish and my mother was really worried about me back then.

“But when I was around seven I remember sitting on the floor at home and copying characters from The Beano - I had found something - and since then I have drawn and painted every day.”

It was after watching a news report about an artist on television as a youngster that he realised that is what he would like to do too.

Looking back he has high praise for his tutors at Oldham College.

Richard’s natural talent was shining through by then and his tutors even bought up a lot of his artwork that he was painting.

“The tutors at Oldham were fabulous,” he says.

“They ended up buying all of my work. I left my finals portfolio for the college to keep. It was great and fun to be there.”

One of Richard’s works on display is a remarkable copy of Constable’s Haywain which he completed aged just 14 as he explored textures and tones as he describes how he can understand and ‘see’ exact colours.

“I was visiting Oldham Library regularly at around that age and copied paintings from books,” explains Richard.

“I did Degas and Turner too - they were all tonally correct although the textures and sizes were different.”

At home his mother was hugely supportive of his art - delighted he had found his calling at such a young age - and she allowed him to turn the dining room into his first studio. 

From Oldham he went on to study at Loughborough University and from there he has gone on to live his dream as an artist.

Despite his incredible success and selling so many of his works he admits there have been tough times.

He has worked with the Manchester Academy and shown at the Portico Library in Manchester and he has been accepted into the Manchester Academy of Fine Art.

After moves to Sheffield and Rochdale he now finds himself in Hyde, working he admits in a far smaller studio, but which has allowed for far more intimate works.

Richard’s forte is portraiture and he explores more than just the human form as he creates a connection with his subject, capturing their emotion and essence in his works - some of which have taken him up to three years to complete.

Although he jokes that the subjects don’t have to sit with him of course for that long!

However, some of these works have been an incredible journey themselves as Richard explores the human condition.

“I’ve gone through hell and back with some of these portraits,” he admits.

While the latest exhibition in the exquisite setting of the Whitaker reveals Richard’s artistic journey to date, it doesn’t stop there.

In the future Richard is already planning more creations and explorations of form and looking at a return to drawing and line works. 

The exhibition shows until June 30 at The Whitaker in Rawtenstall.

A short film 'Richard Fitton, artist, After 7 Years And Later' can be viewed on youtube at