Richard Heley London, United Kingdom

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Fine art painter, international performance poet, UK Poetry slam champion, storywriter, songwriter and interactive painting with children (60+ murals/wall hangings in UK, USA, Australia and South Africa.) Live performance painter.

Richard Heley is a multi skilled visual artist, writer, performer, and songwriter. Born on May 29, 1950, in Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, England, he emigrated to Australia with his family in 1965. He attended Melbourne College of Education from 1969 to 1973. Richard's artistic pursuits span various mediums and disciplines. As a visual artist, he is known for his fine art painting and surreal line drawing. He also paints live as performance in nightclubs & festivals and interactively with children in schools, community events & festivals. He is also an accomplished writer and performer of poetry, short stories, and children's stories. His talents as an international performance poet and songwriter have taken him on numerous tours and engagements. In 1997, Richard became the Farrago UK Poetry Slam Champion, and he represented the UK as a member of the London team in the first World Championship Poetry Slam. He has toured the United States five times, sharing his poetic performances. Richard has also made significant contributions to the arts community, having founded the Paddington International Poetry Festival and curated and administered Jasmine Cottage Gallery in Derby and Maida Hill Place Gallery in London. Richard is currently painting a series of graphic portraits of local people in his unique fantasy style.