Richard Heley - Pools of desire

Richard Heley, British, 76,
"Pools of desire" 2019
46x61 cm (18x24 inches)
Signed with monogram on front & full signature on the back
Direct from the artists studio
Certificate of authenticity
Very good condition
Posted on a stretcher but unframed
"Pools of desire" (also listed as "Pools of desire in awareness observing themselves") is an original surrealist acrylic painting by contemporary British artist Richard Heley.
The painting blends natural landscape elements with human expressions and symbolic wildlife to create a dreamlike, multi-layered visual narrative:
Features vibrant natural motifs, including details of water birds such as a kingfisher and a heron, set against rich foliage and detailed tree trunks.
Incorporates subtle faces woven into the tree trunks and bark, blurring the boundary between human perception and the natural environment.
Features the artist’s own face integrated into the composition, echoing themes of self-reflection and introspection within the landscape.
According to the artist's description, the piece explores philosophical themes of self-awareness, longing, and acceptance:
"I have seen existence as an awareness observing itself, here in pools of human desire, looking, longing... accepting that in the end, or at least the beginning of the end or perhaps the end of the beginning, there is no choice but to submit... it's all right anyway..."
The artwork reflects on human longing and emotion as visual "pools" within a larger, self-observing natural world.