Richard's love for The West came naturally. He was born in Calgary, Alberta, home to Canada's Calgary Stampede, one of the world's great rodeos. The landcapes of Phibbs's childhood then are the backgrounds of his most evocative and authentic images now. Stark plains and endless prairies. Weathered barns and fences. An empty horizon rolling to an open sky. This minimalism rooted in nature shaped Phibbs's esthetic from the beginning.
Peopling the western landscapes of his childhood was that archetypal hero, the cowboy. Phibbs's modern cowboys are sensitively rendered; looking into their eyes, you connect with decades of tradition while experiencing an electric shock of immediacy. At the same time, Phibbs developed the love for animals, especially dogs and horses, which informs all his work.
