Richard Elderton, is an Ōtautahi Christchurch-based New Zealand-Japanese painter. Born in Jōetsu, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and raised in Whakatū Nelson, his bicultural upbringing plays a foundational role in his aesthetic outlook. After graduating from Ilam School of Fine Arts with First Class Honours in painting, his practice has continued to draw from a wide range of artistic influences. With a core focus on the intrinsic balance of five elements—paint application, composition, colour interpretation, subject matter, and sensibility—he sees his paintings as a visual poetry that emerges through the cadence and cohesion of the process.