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A Tribute to Richard Mayhew: The Creation of a Luminous Chapel

A Tribute to Richard Mayhew: The Creation of a Luminous Chapel


### The Legacy of Richard Mayhew: A Master of Mindscapes and the Art of Watercolor

Richard Mayhew, an extraordinary artist whose century-long life was a harmonious blend of creativity and connection to nature, left an indelible mark on the art world before passing away in September 2023. Known for his luminous, color-rich paintings, which he termed “mindscapes,” Mayhew’s work delves deep into the profound relationship between landscapes, memory, and emotion. His paintings do not merely depict visual sceneries; instead, they offer meditative spaces rooted in his personal experiences and the histories of his Indigenous and African-American ancestors.

Now, a new exhibition titled *Richard Mayhew: Watercolor*, running at Venus Over Manhattan in New York City through January 2025, offers an unprecedented glimpse into the artist’s breathtaking watercolors. This exhibition, comprising 22 radiant works that span from 1990 to 2024, serves as both a celebration of Mayhew’s untamed artistry and a touching posthumous tribute to his monumental legacy.

### Anchored in Nature, Guided by Memory

Mayhew was born in 1924 along Long Island’s South Shore and spent his final years in Soquel, California, near Monterey Bay. His close proximity to places where the ocean met the land shaped his lifelong passion for connecting natural elements with emotional depth. His *mindscapes* are not literal depictions of specific geographical sites but imagined terrains, blending the contours of physical landscapes with intangible emotional and spiritual layers.

For Mayhew, landscapes represented a type of ancestral memory. His creations often reflected his understanding of how land serves as a repository for histories, particularly those tied to Indigenous and African-American communities. His work—anchored in themes of belonging, migration, trauma, and transcendence—resonates deeply with both historical and contemporary conversations about place and identity.

### *Richard Mayhew: Watercolor* – A Unique Perspective

Mayhew’s watercolor works, less commonly showcased than his oil paintings, exemplify his mastery over this unpredictable medium. Unlike oils, which allow for slow layering and deliberate adjustments, watercolors demand immediacy and confidence. The fast-drying paints flow and bleed, creating a natural fluidity perfectly aligned with Mayhew’s organic creative vision. His watercolors pulsate with electric hues—chartreuse, vermillion, and mauve—often in unexpected juxtapositions, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in their dreamlike atmospheres.

This exhibition features pieces brimming with experimental techniques. In some works, Mayhew used water from the Pacific Ocean to dampen the paper, allowing natural minerals to influence the pigments. In others, he sprinkled table salt onto the freshly painted surfaces, creating sparkling textures reminiscent of sunlight on water or shimmering forest glades. These details amplify the sensory richness of his art, bridging the natural world with the unique immediacy of human emotion.

### A Poignant Final Chapter

*Richard Mayhew: Watercolor* holds a particularly personal significance: it was the last show Mayhew himself contributed to before his passing. According to the gallery, the artist personally selected each piece and dedicated his final months to painting new works for the exhibition. In this way, the collection becomes a tender reflection of Mayhew’s artistic journey, offering audiences a chance to engage directly with the essence of his creative process and the culmination of his life’s work.

This exhibit also coincides with a milestone—the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City’s acquisition of its first-ever Mayhew piece, *Monterey Blues Series V* (1994), a vibrant watercolor and pastel work previously shown during the artist’s *Natural Order* exhibition. This marks an overdue moment of recognition for an artist whose contributions have challenged traditional approaches to both representation and abstraction.

### Experiencing the Art

Visitors stepping into the gallery space may feel a sense of reverence akin to entering a sacred space. The works, imbued with memory and transcendence, do more than captivate—they invite reflection. Lose yourself in the glowing palette of *Time Space – No. 6* (2003) or explore the tactile, almost magical application of techniques, where water and pigment blur the boundaries between ocean, sky, and earth. Even the physicality of paper edges and hidden “double-sided” paintings adds layers of intrigue to Mayhew’s artistry.

Beyond the stunning visuals, the exhibition encourages viewers to reflect on the impermanence of life and the enduring power of art. Just as Mayhew’s life has come full circle, his art continues to inspire and connect, reminding us that creativity, like nature’s cycles, is infinite.

### A Lasting Impact

Mayhew’s passing undoubtedly marks the end of an era, yet his legacy endures in exhibitions like *Watercolor* and in the hearts of those who encounter his works. His paintings, which seem to breathe with the