Richard Combes was born in Manchester, England. He received his M.F.A. (cum laude) in painting from the New York Academy of Art in 1995, and his B.A. and B Arch (Hons) in architecture from Liverpool University in England.

Richard was elected a full member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (R.O.I.) in 2004.

He is based in New York City and divides his time between the U.S. and U.K.