My friend Richard Duardo passed away in his sleep unexpectedly a couple of nights ago. He was a very important part of the LA art eco-system and deserves a major tribute. I should have written this sooner, but I was in shock. I met Richard almost 12 years ago. I liked him immediately… he was warm, charming, funny, and most of all, incredibly passionate about art and fine art screen printing. I was very impressed that he had worked with many of my art heroes including Keith Haring, Mark Mothersbaugh, John Van Hamersveld, Mick Haggerty, David Hockney, and Chaz Bojorquez. Richard was enthusiastic about my work, and encouraged me to step up the scale and sophistication of my prints with his help. In many ways, I owe the evolution of my fine art print work to Richard’s craft and willingness to share his years of printing knowledge and range of techniques. Something I learned quickly about Richard was that he loved people and was constantly fostering artist’s relationships with each other, museums, collectors, activists, and charities. If there was an art event or a progressive gathering going on, Richard was likely to be there. If you dropped by Modern Multiples, Richard’s print studio, on a weekend, you were likely to be fed the best Tamales from Boyle Heights. Richard was kind. I will miss Richard as a friend and art comrade, but the most troubling thing for me is the loss to the art community of one of the few remaining master printers… someone who put craft before profit and always rose to the challenge of translating great art into beautiful prints. The number of artists and fellow printers Richard helped over the years is too long to list. Richard was a pleasure to work with, party with, discuss art with, and meet a bunch of great characters through. I live with the color of Richard’s prints on my walls, but the L.A. scene will be a bit more drab without his vibrant character. Thanks for the tamales man!
-Shepard

You can learn more about Richard and see his art HERE.
Learn more about Richard’s print studio HERE.

R.I.P. Richard Duardo

Che Guevara by Richard Duardo

From left to right Richard Duardo, Barbara Carasco, and Carlos Almaraz.

Framed piece by Richard Duardo

Shepard and Richard Duardo working in the studio, 2005.

Richard Duardo printing. Photo by: Ernesto Yerena