Mark’s creations are conceived from a lifetime’s obsession and love for the ocean and its waves, yet he was born as far from the ocean as you can get in England! He was obsessed with water from the start and could not be kept out of any available body of water; bath, lake, pool or sea! He started board riding in the early days of skateboarding. Watching rainy Saturday afternoon TV sport in the middle of winter he saw surfing for the first time; the 1977 Pipeline Masters! In a moment of absolute clarity, he committed right then and there to a life involved in surfing and the ocean. His school science project during the next term, was an investigation into the mechanics of breaking waves in a test tank! His obsession with the ocean and its waves grew; always drawn to wave patterns whether they be ripples in a pond, beach or reefbreaks, miniature or huge!
Cornwall and Mark
During his teens he made many trips to Devon and Cornwall to surf, before moving to Cornwall in 1985 after completing his degree. He has surfed all over Cornwall and around the world since then. Mark now lives on the cliff overlooking the sea in Perranporth; a source of constant inspiration as well as a great place to surf and swim (in 2018, Mark has completed his swim around entire coast of Cornwall and in 2019 became the second person to swim from Land’s End to Scilly). He is a former civil engineer and marine contractor, who retired from corporate life in 2017 to pursue his creative dreams.
“My creations are born of a lifetime’s love and obsession for the ocean and its waves.” – Mark Richards, Cornish Artist
My wave sculptures are created using state of the art 3D design and CNC technology, and are lovingly hand finished. I select beautiful hardwoods sourced locally in Cornwall to create unique and beautiful objects. These are often combined with epoxy resin to evoke the beautiful interface between the land and the sea.
Every piece of wave art is crafted to work with the contours and figures in the selected hardwood, so each is one of a kind. They are designed to evoke the freedom and excitement that being in and around the ocean brings to those who love it.
