Richard Paul, 58, of The Tyleshades, hid 12 mini paintings of Romsey landmarks around the town on Saturday, August 9.
Anyone who finds one of the paintings, which depict landmarks such as Romsey Town Hall and The Plaza Theatre, is allowed to keep it. At the time of writing, Richard says that only three of the paintings have not been found.
Richard said: “I was inspired by the concept of Free Art Fridays, which was a thing, I think, about 20 years ago, I first heard of it. It was where artists made just small, cheap little bits of art which they hid for people to find, usually on a Friday, hence the name. And, I was thinking of how I could get the art to people who wouldn’t normally see it and encourage them to come to my open studio, and the two ideas came together.
“So, I got these cheap little canvases which cost very little, and each painting has taken about 45 minutes to do. And then I put them all around Romsey with notes.
“I know one has definitely been found, because they posted a photo of it on my Facebook page. I don’t know what has happened to the others; I hope they have fallen into appreciative hands, but you can never tell.
“Romsey is just filled with so many iconic buildings and scenes that could only be Romsey. I could have easily done another 12, no problem.”
Richard said that he enjoyed painting the landmarks and might do the treasure hunt again in Salisbury or Southampton, saying: “The hardest part was finding somewhere hidden enough, but not too hidden.”
Richard has been an artist since he left his previous day job in 2016. He said: “I was aiming to be off for a year, but then I fell seriously ill and took two years to recover. Then, of course, Covid came along, and I couldn’t get work. So, I decided to retire early and devote all my time to painting.
“Each year, for me, the big event is the Hampshire Open Studios. I believe it’s my 12th year of doing it. I’m venue 105 in the brochure!
“Anyone who doesn’t think they can paint can paint. It just takes time to develop the skills. I would encourage anyone to give it a go.”
The Hampshire Open Studios will take place from August 16 to August 25.
For more information about Richard’s work, visit his website.
