Richard Dahlquist was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and attended the University of Washington and the San Francisco Academy of Art. He also worked and studied with members of the "Denver Group"- including  Ned Jacob, Mark Daily, Len Chmiel and Kang Cho.

He presently resides in Colorado Springs,Colorado. Some affiliations and awards include the Oil Painters of America National Exhibitions, Salon International Exhibitions, Arts for the Parks Judges Choice Award and numerous times in the Top 100, The John Steven Jones Fellowship Award, The Salmagundi Club Invitational-New York City and The Colorado Governors Invitational. As a traditional painter, he enjoys the process of painting from life and wants his work to show his love of nature. Dahlquist also believes the combination of what we see / feel and technical virtuosity is what creates the magic.

His subject matter consists of traditional Figure, Still-Life, Landscape and  "Western"- including the Cowboy and Mountain Man/ Fur Trade Era.