The first half of the 1940’s turned out to be the period for Richard Uutmaa when he developed and found his style since the works he completed in the 1940’s are his best works. He participated a great deal in exhibitions during the war and also attracted the widespread attention of critics. His subjects were mostly themes associated with life along the seashore. He has repeatedly depicted the patching, twining, and mending of nets, and other such work.
The latter half of the 1940’s was contradictory for Richard Uutmaa and his creative work. It is known that he planned to flee from Estonia in 1944 yet he nevertheless remained in Estonia with his wife because she pleaded with him to stay in Estonia. Instead, after working in Altja as a freelancer for several years, he went to Tallinn, where he was a lecturer at the state institute for applied art.