Richard F. Kessler is a self-taught, Brooklyn-based artist working in pen-and-ink drawing and acrylic painting. He developed a signature pointillist drawing technique, built from widely spaced ink dots connected into figurative and surrealistic compositions with dense stippling in the darkest areas, which he and a cataloguer termed "Pointillumbrism"; his paintings apply a related, colorful impressionistic-realist style also centered on the figure. His practice dates back decades, per his website's copyright notice spanning 1999 to the present, and he has self-published at least one book of his artwork. He maintains a presence on the art platforms ARTPlaces and ARTFaces.

In the service I began drawing or reading for extended periods. Discharged, I moved to Greenwich Village, worked as a programmer, and showed my drawings outside Washington Square Park. I was there when we walked on the moon. I drew at lunch and under street lamps, developed this pointillist style and met many outstanding individuals. I sold little, but saved enough to leave the job. Painted murals in Village clubs and did shows. Atlantic City Boardwalk, Ann Arbor, Virginia Beach, Powers Crossroads GA, Brooklyn Hts, San Antonio's Starving Artist Show, Chicago to Florida to Cape Cod. Spent more doing the shows than I could make. So much time to draw, waiting for that customer. It was time to return to the job and start a family. 25 years later, I draw and paint and with no TV, lose track of time. My more complex drawings begin in pencil. Most start with a few widely spaced ink dots, which I connect with more dots or not. Lots of dots. Lots of dots and a tight scribble in the darkest areas. H. Wagstaff Gribble cataloged this work as Pointillumbrism.