Born in the Midlands, Richie's work brought him to Wales in 1979. Inspired by his surroundings, he taught himself to paint with watercolours and acrylics.

Initially, Richie took photographs on his film camera to paint from. When digital cameras emerged, his passions changed, finding that he could create more atmospheric images, only limited by his own imagination, in the digital format.

Richie still enjoys painting in the ' traditional ' way and intends to have more of that work in Crafts Alive alongside his digital work.