Yellow is a joyful, magical colour, the colour of the sun, the colour of gold, it is powerful. As a child it was the colour I liked the least but in adulthood I am constantly drawn to it, especially in art and interiors. Our home studio has pops of yellow throughout; it began with the yellow Kodak paper boxes that Richard uses to store his smallest prints, then during lockdown we painted our doors yellow and got yellow light fixtures that draw your eyes through and around the studio. Richard began using yellow as a personal brand colour in 1993, something that has stayed with him throughout his career and many will have seen this on the certificate of authenticity that accompanies his artworks. More recently we found a giant yellow letter R neon which now lights up our garden with a warm glow.
"The brain releases more serotonin when a person is surrounded by the color yellow, which is why this color stands as a symbol of happiness and positivity." As quoted by colorpsychology.org
Colour is important to Richard, colour saturation, colour balance, colour tone; it is a visual tool he uses to seduce his audience, to grab their attention drawing them into the subjects and details.
Yellow Artworks by Richard Heeps
Gold, Hong Kong, 2016. A Chinese character on the the streets of Hong Kong, just happened to be on a rich golden yellow wall. The raw textures of the yellow paint really are a symbol of the grit of the city. It is almost like a fingerprint, something Richard is trying to create in his urban street photography.
Daisy's Kitchen, Cambridge, 1990. The earliest work dominated by the colour yellow. A kitchen corner of the home two doors down from where Richard has lived and worked for thirty years. Daisy's Kitchen is part of his Ordinary Places series, capturing Britain on the brink of change.
Yellow Corridor Day & Night, Milan, 2019. The yellow walls stopped us in our tracks as we walked down the street in Milan. Although it's much simpler than the other foyers in the series A Short History of Milan, the way the light bounces on the rich yellow hues, combined with the cinematic sense of story telling makes them incredibly seductive images. The change of yellow from day to night is a lesson on light and colour.
Telephone II, Ballantines Movie Colony, Palm Springs, California, 2002. Richard Heeps photographed a number of telephones on nightstands at the iconic mid-century Movie Colony Hotel. This interior photograph is dreamy and nostalgic, a classic style of Richard's Dream in Colour series.
Sun 45, Bisbee, Arizona, 2001. Captured in a classic Airstream RV featuring a vintage record player and everybody's favourite Johnny Cash song 'I Walk the Line'. The warm colour tones create a nostalgic Americana vibe.
The Last Kiss, Milan, 2019. Although there are many colours in this artwork, yellow is the dominating colour, drawing you into the details of the book spines. Taken on the streets of Milan, at a traditional booksellers kiosk, the many linear directions create a hypnotic pattern.
Ploughman's Cottage, Tydd St. Giles, Wisbech, 1993. Richard Heeps is well known for documenting the unique Fenland landscape near to his Cambridge home. Historically the fertile peat soil drew farmers to the area but unfortunately the land on which they built their homes was not stable which with time lead to subsidence and the dwellings had to be abandoned, eventually becoming ghost houses dotted throughout the horizon. Over time nature has enveloped the buildings creating this strange outside inside and Richard has captured this stunning picture with intense warm yellow overgrown with greenery and the rural landscape through the window.
Petrol Pump, Stow Bardolph, Norfolk, 2005. An old fashioned yellow petrol pump, an item that Richard likes to collect, sitting amongst green ivy. The photograph, with peeling paint and rust captures the raw sense of the age of the object.
Heidler & Heeps Vinyl Collection. Yellow is an important colour in a set of a collection, drawing your eyes around as it combines and complements the other colours to make them pop. B Side, Double B Side (Sunshine) and Yellow Recording are all powerful yellows with great details and textures, each with a very different feel to one another.
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