The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Artist answers ‘call of the dragon’ at Art in the Park
Art-centric event draws more than 60 vendors to Veterans Park
Matthew Richards drives about an hour to bring his artwork to Painesville’s Art in the Park each year. His passion for the pastime came from much farther away.
Richards, the featured artist at this year’s event Aug. 17, was exposed to the arts by his grandfather and mother, but it was in Japan that art became more prominent in his life.
Born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he first visited Japan as an exchange student from Penn State.
“That’s when I had my first pottery class,” he said. “Then I went back to Japan after I graduated. … Pottery was not my work, it was a hobby, but I did it for a good 15 or 16 years full tilt as a hobby.”
He lived in Japan 18 years in all and studied Japanese calligraphy, began photography and woodworking, and even took up taiko (Japanese drumming). He also married his wife, Atsuko, and had two children there. They moved to the United States 11 years ago.
“We decided that we’d rather have them go through school here than Japan,” he said. “We would rather their primary language be English.” His Japanese has come in handy for some side jobs translating for engineers in the automotive industry.
The couple now lives in Strongsville, where Richards built his own forge, The Grindstone Dragon Forge. His pottery studio, Ryu No Sakebi, is in the The Screw Factory in Lakewood.
The studio name is Japanese for “call of the dragon.”
“I just decided ‘Matthew Richards’ seemed kind of boring,” for a studio name, he said. “Not everybody understands, but it gets the conversation started.”
His fascination with dragons is manifested in much of his art.
“My dragons are fun,” he said. “They’re mischievous and like to have fun like I do. … Dragons in Japan and China and other places, there’s a whole mysticism behind them, but for me it’s more about being fun.”
The featured artist designation is meant to bring special attention to the recipient at Art in the Park, a juried event for both new and returning artists. More than 60 vendors were scheduled to take part.
“Matthew has been participating in the show for about five years and I always noticed that when I go to visit his booth it’s pretty packed,” said event organizer Beth Homrighaus. “People look for him every year and I thought this would be a good time to bring him to the forefront of the show. He’s a pro.”