Painter, printmaker, playwright, and actor Richard Volpe was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1926. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he studied art and writing at Ohio's Wesleyan University, Denver University, the University of New Mexico and the University of Nevada. Volpe first gained national attention for his writing, winning the Samuel French Award for one of his plays in 1966. His foray into the art of etching began in 1965 and, during the following years, he created a number of works of art in this medium, mostly dealing with landscapes and animal depictions.  During his career, the art of Richard Volpe was the subject of more than twenty-five one man exhibitions.

Today his fine art is included in the permanent collections of the University of Delaware; the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Pennsylvania; the Luther College Fine Arts Collection; the Juliet Art Museum, West Virginia; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Richard Volpe died in Laguna Beach, California in 1985.