Richard Bélanger was born in Mont-Louis in the Gaspe Peninsula on August 20, 1950. Since childhood, he has been keenly interested in drawing and was involved in reproducing everything around him. His interest in drawing rapidly changed into a passionate endeavor which left him little respite to the dismay of his teachers who recommended he prepare for his future. As an adolescent, he explored o…

Richard Bélanger was born in Mont-Louis in the Gaspe Peninsula on August 20, 1950. Since childhood, he has been keenly interested in drawing and was involved in reproducing everything around him. His interest in drawing rapidly changed into a passionate endeavor which left him little respite to the dismay of his teachers who recommended he prepare for his future. As an adolescent, he explored oil painting and dreamt of becoming a cartoonist. He registered in the Famous Artist course, a correspondence course, and later entered the Académie des arts du Canada. It was there that he experimented with several different techniques related to commercial art and hence discovered his true passion: watercolor. Richard Bélanger enriched his studies by participating in workshops given by well-known American watercolor painters, notably Don Stone (A.W.S.) and Kevin Raines. In 1980, he received a bursary from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation. In 1991, he won the first prize (Gold Medal of Honor) from the American Watercolor Society, in 1993 the “Garnet Award” from the Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors. In 2008, he won the “Don Kingman Award” from the American Watercolor Society and an “Honorable Mention” from the Louisiana Watercolor Society. In 2009 he was accepted in the Art Kudos competition, Georgia, U.S.A. Richard Bélanger is a figurative realist painter who is associated with the New England school. He uses watercolor, egg tempera, oils, and acrylics as his principal mediums. A perfectionist, he places great importance on the permanency of pigments. The artist derives his inspiration from light. “It is the light that, above all, inspires my subjects,” he says. He enjoys depicting slice-of-life scenes often with humor and contemporary subjects, whether of the country or the city. His works evoke a story—a past or future happening. Richard Bélanger has participated in many solo and group exhibitions. His works have been acquired by private collectors and corporations and can be found in Canada, the U.S., and in Europe.