Author of the book, Robert Clunie Plein Air Painter of the Sierra, Richard Coons (1929-2003) started painting when he was 47 years old. Though mostly self-taught, his only formal training was at Laguna Beach Art School, where he learned how to paint seascapes with marine painter, Bennett Bradbury.

Inspired by the sea, the desert, but mostly by his beloved Sierra Nevada, Richard Coons moved to Bishop, California in high school and spent the rest of his life here.

Born in Los Angeles, Richard was the son of William Coons, a hydrographer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and a surveyor on the construction of the Tioga Road on Yosemite’s east side. Richard often accompanied his father on afternoon scouting trips for ‘good skiing slopes’ and his father’s colleague from work, Dave McCoy, who later founded Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.

 In 1945, Richard Coons was asked by his grandfather to assist with a delivery of concrete blocks to new Bishop resident and fine artist, Robert Clunie, who was building an art studio and residence on the North Fork of Bishop Creek and North Sierra Highway. Then a student at Bishop Union High School, Coons was a ski racer and runner, building the first high hurdles at the school’s track. Aware of the young man’s notable track accomplishments as reported in the local newspaper, and as an athlete of some note himself, Clunie struck up a conversation about sports with Coons.  While still in high school, Richard bought Monterey Boatworks which is still in the gallery collection and was displayed at the Santa Paula Museum’s Retrospective on Robert Clunie in 2013.