Richard "Dick" McKenzie is a contemporary portrait artist.  Born in 1928, Richard McKenzie grew up in Santa Cruz, California.  He met Ava Astaire (Fred Astaire's daughter) in the early 1960's in Raymond Burr's Gallery in Beverly Hills, California, where he was a shown painter.  His own McKenzie Gallery enjoyed ten years popularity and provided art classes for many Hollywood personalities.  In 1970 he and Ava married, and in 1975 moved to the south coast of Ireland.

He earned his BFA at Choinard, now CalArts. His gallery on La Cienega Boulevard was opened in the early 1960's.  It was sold so the family could relocate to London, England.

He established great popularity as a portraitist.  His works include portraits of Stan Laurel (commissioned by Dick Van Dyke), Barbra Stanwyck and many others.  He and Ava have two sons, Kevin and Tyler McKenzie.

(Information by permission of Tyler McKenzie is greatly appreciated for this artist bio. Information from Turn Left At The Black Cow: One Family's Journey From Beverly Hills To Ireland, an autobiography written by Richard McKenzie and published in 1998).