Jay Raymond Art

During my freshman year of college at Moorhead State in 1987, I was fortunate to have been a student of Mary Pryor, English Professor. She recently passed away. Ms Pryor didn't know it, but she had a profound affect on me as a student and as an aspiring artist. Her encouragement and critiques inspired me as a student writer. This ultimately trickled into my creative process for art. I think of her often and am indebted to her for her contribution to my personal growth and for opening up new horizons of creativity. Her poetry reveals her incredible spirit and creative brilliance. She was quite a lady, and I'm sure there are countless others she touched through the years as they passed in and out of her classroom. Here's a beautiful example of her work, which captures so uniquely the people and place of the Moorhead area: Red River People Here on the ridgepole of the continent where rivers amble north against their kind, transplanted Scandinavians resent the glossing tongue, ...

The sound was faint. He paused To detect Some wind's whisper nudging a leaf or other effect Of subtle disturbance Of animal or other. He ceased breathing Feigning death for a moment To freeze his own nature. Listening into the wood Listening Finding a wind's whisper nudging.

Tumbling water stampede Advancing, rushing in liquid chaos Painting pale dust dark The flow imparting translucence Saturating gray surfaces, revealing color Debris displaced, lifted Suddenly awakened into a frantic swim Silence filled by wet static Swelling, imperceptible grains crashing first Then pebble and rock

We recently moved into the house we've been building since 2007, and it's time to break in the studio. Here are some pics of the studio and a couple of new paintings I'm working on. These are abstract pieces based on interlocking shapes. I'm hoping to complete a series of these. It sure is fun producing something after such a long hiatus! I'm experimenting with technique as I develop the compositions. I really like the spontaneous quality of these and am not sure how much further I should go...it's always so hard knowing when to stop!

2007, 5"x7" Acrylic on Masonite

2007, Acrylic on Masonite This is another view of fields near the Artessa Winery in Napa, California. SOLD

Near our favorite winery in the Napa Valley, there are some beautiful fields hidden on lonely gravel roads. The Artessa Winery is a unique winery with beautiful views, and the wine is good, too! This scene is one of many like it that you can find if you wander past the winery a short distance. I don't think many people leave the main loop in the valley unless they have a strong curiosity and appreciation of the landscape. The wine is the main attraction for most, but for me it is the land from which the wine comes. I can't help but leave the busy valley highways and wander into the quiet hills to see what I might find. 2007, 5"x7" Acrylic on Masonite SOLD