Richard McLaughlin was educated in both the arts and the sciences. He began his formal studies in the Physics Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic, New York.
When he moved to Santa Barbara, the atmospheric light and stark beauty of the Southern California landscape made an immediate impression on him; he shifted his attention to the College of Creative Studies at UCSB to study painting and sculpture.
For several years, he lived and worked in a downtown Santa Barbara art studio, and collaborated with local artists on what was to become the Summer Solstice Parade. He spent a year at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, Italy, studying painting with Emilio Vedova, and performance and puppetry with Donato Sartori.
While living and working as an artist in Los Angeles, Richard immersed himself in the practice of the art and science of Iyengar Yoga. The yogic focus on the subtleties of mind and body had a profound influence on the process by which he made his art.
McLaughlin works in both sculpture and painting. His public art is seen across Southern California. Locally his large mural (painted with Ben Bottoms), that celebrates Santa Barbara’s parades, can be found behind the Granada Theatre. His latest large project is a motion-activated kinetic sculpture that is also a percussive musical instrument. This will be featured in his upcoming show WIRED at SBCAST (May 2017).
Richard McLaughlin has shown in Venice, Italy; New York; Los Angeles; Santa Fe; Aspen; London, and Santa Barbara. Richard lives in Santa Barbara, CA, where he maintains a downtown art studio. He also owns the Iyengar Yoga Studio of Santa Barbara on De La Vina Street in Santa Barbara, CA.