Rick Begneaud

Artist Statement

Using scraps of fabric in my work began as an inspiration from my travels to West Africa. As I walked past discarded, gorgeous, sun-faded pieces of clothe I wanted to reach out and collect them all. What I decided to do was to seek out small tailor shops to ask for their scraps. This confounded most shop owners, as they wanted to sell me their wares that were already creations, such as shirts or a Grand Boubou. I just wanted the scraps that were laying around on the floor.

Blending these scraps of fabric into my work was natural to me as I like using found materials in my work. They provide me with an intimacy that bonds me to an undiscovered place. Unwitting forms and patterns can sometimes share space with one another, or they run for cover. I work with indefinable boundaries that I am not looking to find.

Gallery Owner, Don LeBlanc, states, “Rick’s got a very contemporary approach to image making. He uses found materials--patterns, fabrics, printed materials, appropriated photographs, diagrams. Ready-mades. He creates his own world on the surface of the work rather than painting a picture of the world.” Begneaud works out of his studio in Sausalito, California, the quaint Bay Area enclave that has long been a creative hub for artists of all kinds. [more]

Artist Statement

Still an avid traveler, Begneaud seeks out gorgeous fabrics, walls, trees, heat, beautiful people, amazing landscapes, and language in West and North Africa closing a curious circle to his fantastic beginnings.

“Rick Begneaud has an eye that cannot be ignored. I am proud to witness his talents. The sense of color and composition are proof of unique experiences and exposures. He obviously possesses some of the old man’s genes.” (quote by Robert Rauschenberg) [back]

Artist Statement

The idea for using scraps of fabric in my work was inspired from my trips to West Africa, walking through villages and seeing beautiful strips of clothe just laying on the ground all over the place. Fabrics, color, light and texture excite me. I like using found materials, things that have a life and a history before coming to me. I grew up in South Louisiana as a Cajun, moved to California in the mid 80's, spent two years in NYC and one in Colorado. I've been making art for 30 years now. [back]