Richard Telford was born in 1950 in Dorchester and spent his childhood in this most picturesque part of England. He developed a keen interest in painting professionally from an early age when his talent was recognized by a local gallery. For a while, after graduating from art college, he took up a career as a graphic designer, which in time he abandoned in order to further his ambition of painting full time. He was admitted into the studio of Terrance Anton who taught him the art of professional landscape painting. The influence of many West Country artists and the surroundings of his youth have provoked his unique style, with his use of soft bright colours evoking a serene atmosphere in his landscapes.