Private Works
Richard S. Beyer did not start out to become an artist, but his artistic sensibilities and drive to translate stories into visual form were evident from early childhood. As a young father in Levittown, NY, he loved to make up imaginative stories and invent toys for his young children, Elizabeth and Charles. When the family moved to Seattle, Beyer began to make small carvings as a way to handle academic and job related frustrations. He was mostly self-taught, and enjoyed experimenting with various materials. As the quantity of carvings grew, he exhibited them in local galleries and began to attract public attention. He acquired many admirers and this lead to an ever-growing clientele for private works and commissions. Ideas for pieces came from his knowledge of history, poetry, folklore and myths, the Bible and current events, as well as personal feelings about politics and the human condition. He used as many natural materials as he could find – from cedar driftwood and downed cedar trees, to varieties of granite that he found in stone yards or quarries. As Beyer developed his technique for working in cast aluminum, he made hundreds of small cast aluminum pieces for friends and private collectors, as well as a few large-scale works. Frequently, when Beyer was working on a public commission in some town, he would meet people in the area who were attracted to his work. Many of these people became lasting friends and private collectors of Beyer sculpture.
People
“Johnnie Appleseed”
He stands in an apple orchard in Central Washington State, with his after-life wives on his shoulders.
Forest Animals
“Bear Holding Heads”
The heads are of "ordinary" artists from the Pacific Northwest.
Domestic and Imaginary
“Mulla Nazaudin"
An eccentric prophet from the Near East in the 14th Century, sitting on a donkey leading a crowd into the castle.
Wood
“General Fremont”
He is wrapped in the American flag having just led the drive to make California a state.