About Richard Shorty

Richard was born in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory in 1959 and belongs to the Northern Tuchone Tribe. Richard is a self taught artist. He originally started painting wildlife at an early age along with painting his favorite rock star or sports idol. In 1978, Richard moved to Vancouver.

In the early 1980’s, Richard started painting West Coast Native design and soon developed his own distinct, style, using the wildlife form of the animal and adding his native design on the inside of the form. 

He began painting in 1981 initially learning Northwest Coast design from books and then later from other artists after moving to Victoria, BC, in 1983. In addition to carving techniques, his work also includes original drawings and paintings and can be seen publicly in the Orwell Hotel mural on Hastings Street, in Vancouver.

Over the years, Richard has moved around – Vancouver Island, Richmond, Whitehorse, but always returning to Vancouver. Today, Richard is one of the most sought after Native artists, with works throughout many galleries. He is very versatile, working on drums, paddles, masks, rattles in addition to his paintings. His pieces are collected internationally.