Richard Treaster was particularly devoted to capturing the flow of light over objects in his work. He even chose a home with an attic window facing north to better light his studio space. He had two great loves - art and gardening, and he gardened to create subject matter for his art. One of his artistic passions was the use of negative space and the study of perspective. He liked the understated, the power of simplicity, and the elegance of Asian art, all of which are reflected in his work. He said, "I have never had to travel far to paint a new subject. All seems to merely occur in everyday life, it is not exciting or dramatizing. It is a quiet sort of art. For myself art is trying to see more deeply into this everyday life."