richard richard richards
San Diego native Richard Provencio a.k.a. richard richard richards, is a visual artist, writer, and recovering comedian who primarily works in the medium of photography. richard considers his camera as an extension of himself and uses it much like a Quija Board letting it help guide him to a place where intuition, chance, and preparedness meet. As such, his work covers a wide gamut of topics from the most lighthearted visual one liners and “ordinary magic” (which he describes as seemingly other-worldly observations in everyday life), to more serious deep dives into subjects like injustice and racial tension, and everything in between.
It was initially at stand up shows in seedy dive bars and comedy clubs where richard first cut his teeth as an artist and though increasingly painful and counterproductive to most socially accepted oral hygiene practices, richard has since carried on cutting his teeth as a documentarian, street photographer, and fine artist claiming to be a “lifelong learner,” a “visual poet,” and “some other BS.” But, it was years ago at those truly awful “comedy” shows long ago where richard developed his fascination with people and began addressing philosophical issues like what it means to be human through his creative endeavors. This fascination with humanity, whatever that means, is at the base of what drives richard as he uses the camera to piece together his take on the human condition.
As a street photographer richard operates primarily as a collector (or a “hoarder” if you want to be rude about it), taking in his favorite selections of what the world has to offer. Some of his favorite subjects include: dogs, cats, people, faces in inanimate objects, crude graffiti, natural frames, and the surreal. As a documentarian richard tends to work mostly in projects. Many of his past projects have been centered around his sometimes-unhealthy-love of comedy. Under the umbrella of his ongoing “Comedy, i love you.” project he opened a window into the world of an open mic comedian in a photographic series of the same name. Also under this comedic umbrella richard created a multimedia (photo/video) web series showcasing some of the talent of the rising stars in the San Diego stand up scene. While richard continues to have an enormous love for all things comedy he is also not afraid to turn his camera toward less joyous activities. In this realm richard has produced bodies of work covering the 2020 civil rights movement locally in San Diego, with some coverage up the coast in Portland, Oregon. Additionally, richard became obsessed with our society’s return to “normalcy” after the COVID-19 vaccine which he documented in his “We’re back!” project. Presently, richard is working on long term projects covering religion; animal captivity in zoos, aquariums, and amusement parks; music; and whatever else the universe puts in his path.
Outside of work richard enjoys spending time with his Fiancée, daughter, and their two cats. He tends to spend his free time developing new creative skills (e.g. drawing), nerding out to photography documentaries and youtube channels, watching comedy specials and movies, listening to dope yet eclectic music and podcasts, reading or listening to a good book, and checking out art at local galleries and museums. That and meditating regularly so his brain doesn’t implode.
