Jay Raymond Art

She Can Really Fly 2010, Acrylic on Canvas 3x8 feet We have a Boxer dog named Leila, and I'm positive she imagines she's flying as she runs through the forest we live in. The crows that inhabit our trees made their way into this painting, since they're most likely the source of her fantasy. She's adopted them as part of her pack...or she's joining their flock. Either way, wings are beginning to materialize over her as the ground screams by. She can run and bound so athletically, I myself am beginning to imagine she's flying! This painting was recently accepted into a juried show at the Franklin Art Center in Brainerd, MN where it received rave reviews. This is a bit experimental for me in that I drew references from video footage I captured of my dog as she ran through a flooded ditch. Photographs are a traditional form of reference, but with new, inexpensive technology it is now possible to capture crisp, detailed images through the use of small ...

Amalgam 2010, Acrylic on Paper 18 by 24 inches For many years I've been interested in the play of positive and negative space. Small compositions of shapes have developed into interlocking masses in which all shapes have become positive, combined into a form within the rectangular space of the image. The exterior of the mass becomes the area of negative space. In this composition titled, "Amalgam", the mass of shapes seems to suggest a dancing figure on a stage. While it is really a non-objective piece, it could be characterized as abstract figurative. This is another example of how, sub-consciously, my abstract images quietly inherit some reference to either a figurative or landscape theme. In fact, I see in this image both, since there is a figure dancing on a stage, and the stage is floating in a space suggestive of sky. As a viewer you might not see these references. It really is in the eye of the beholder. Some personal experience might influence your unique ...

Ely Beach Nymph, Sand Sculpture I just returned from an incredible week in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Northern Minnesota. I stayed with my family at Timber Trail Resort near Ely Minnesota. If you want a relaxing, wilderness experience at a family friendly resort, I highly recom mend this one. They have many options for accommodations including cabins, motel rooms, and even a bunk house for folks needing a place to slee p before heading into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) for an extended wilderness adventure. The resort is a full outfitter and entry point into the BWCA, and they were equipping groups constantly as they arrived. For those of you that aren't familiar, the BWCA is located in Northeastern Minnesota. It consists of over a million acres of wilderness, with over 1,000 pristine lakes, rivers and streams, and over 1500 miles of canoe routes. It is considered by some as the most beautiful wilderness they have ever seen. National Geographic named it one of...

Napa Vineyard - Original California Impressionistic Landscape I recently opened an Etsy store as a new adventure into marketing my work. Etsy is an amazing site that provides a free store to any artist looking for an easy way to set up his or her own shop. I literally had completed establishing my Etsy site within minutes, and after a couple of hours, I had uploaded artworks and listed them for sale with descriptions, shipping information and prices. Etsy is a huge online market dedicated to the sale of hand-made or vintage products. There is no charge for owning or creating a shop. Artists pay a 20 cent fee for each item when it is listed, and this fee allows for the listing to remain active for 4 months. When an item is sold, a 3.5% sales fee is paid to Etsy. This has got to be the best deal in world! My store has been up since early July, and I've been adding items and refining my listings based on research I've conducted. It turns out there are some really successf...

This is a plein air painting I produced at an Agency Bay beach on Leech Lake, Walker, Minnesota. It was a beautiful Fourth of July weekend, and I couldn't help but get out in the morning to paint. I used lake water to thin the paint and clean my brushes, so there's some of the Minnesota lakes locked in the surface of the image! For purchase inquiries, contact me by leaving a note in the comment field below or by going to my Etsy Gallery through the link on the right side of this blog. Thanks for looking!

This is a new abstract piece that evolved through several compositions. In fact, if layers could be lifted from the canvas, you'd find several different paintings. Even though it changed significantly as I worked and re-worked it, some of the original image remains. You can see an early stage here . While many of my abstract pieces often start out as formal experiments usually based primarily on shape, they often end up transformed by ideas and experiences I'm encountering while developing the artwork. It's as if these experiences fill and transform what began as an empty shell or skeletal structure. It's difficult to accept changes to the work as new directions suggest themselves, but eventually what started as mostly a simple compositional study becomes a resolved image filled with an idea. Finding resolution between elements of the composition and the idea is a struggle. There's always tension between what the intended outcome was and the new form almost impo...

I submitted a painting and was accepted into a show at the Franklin Arts Center in Brainerd, MN. The opening is June 4, and the exhibit features 36 artists. I'll post a photo of my piece after the opening. If you'd like to attend the artist's reception, please RSVP by May 27th.