Beginning in the mid-1880s, Richards turned his lifelong fascination with the sea to plein air marine studies in oil on small panels specially cut to fit into his sketch box. He produced hundreds of such seascapes, using free, vigorous brushwork to capture the constantly shifting light, atmosphere, and wave formations along various coasts he visited throughout the Northeast and abroad. Although Richards called these studies the “bare bones” for larger studio compositions, he also exhibited them as works of art in their own right.
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