Richard Goehl’s New York is shaped by a unique NYC narrative: he grew up on City Island—a corner of the Bronx defined as much by lobster boats and seafaring adventure as by graffiti-tagged alleyways and nearby subways with the gritty charm of the ’70s. Growing up in that coastal enclave, and with a beach as his front yard, he developed a visual language rooted in contrast: salt water and asphalt, freedom and confinement, stillness and motion. From painting rock album covers onto denim jackets, graffiti art pieces, to designing furniture, Goehl’s creative path has always been hands-on, evolving into the realist painting practice he now pursues from his Brooklyn studio.

Much like the New York of Edward Hopper—a major influence—Goehl’s cityscapes are less documentary than psychological. They are places we recognize, but not quite as they are; instead, they exist at the edge of recollection and the mind. In his paintings, architecture becomes character, light becomes emotion, and the city becomes a map of human experience—transformed not just by the artist’s eye, but by the inner world he brings to it.

Richard's paintings transform familiar cityscapes into emotional narratives. By manipulating elements like reflections and architectural details, and the people who occupy those spaces in various actions, he creates scenes that are both recognizable and figments of his experience. This approach invites viewers to engage in a dialogue between reality and imagination.

Goehl’s work is grounded in photography, but filtered through memory, mood, and meticulous manipulation. A single painting may begin with dozens of photos—composite references, often from different locations and times—rearranged into imagined yet believable urban spaces. A window’s reflection might be swapped with another; a figure may be added where none existed. These subtle interventions bend realism toward a quiet narrative ambiguity, evoking the solitude, mystery, and fleeting intimacy of the city.

These paintings combine past disciplines and interests, brought to life and interpreted through years of visual and emotional observation. Thoughts moved from head to camera, hand to canvas through a process in which pieces of photos are manipulated to form a final composition painted in great detail onto the canvas. 

Richard's background in graphic design, furniture design and street art infuses his work with a unique architectural sensibility that is unique to NYC. His paintings often focus on the interplay of structures, highlighting the beauty in urban decay and the passage of time. He hopes viewers will appreciate the emotional intensity of these cityscapes which—through their interplay of light, shadow and composition—evoke feelings of nostalgia, curiosity and personal reflection. 

Rich lives in Brooklyn with his wife, son and beagle/basset/dachshund pup