Jay Raymond Art

Napa Vineyard 2010, Acrylic on Canvas 11 x 14 inches I finished another Napa, California vineyard painting for a colleague interested in a painting in this subject and style. This was an enjoyable image to work on, and it brought back memories of sunny days exploring quiet roads in the valley. On this particular day, my wife and I spent an afternoon enjoying the landscape and taking photographs. It was one of those bright, sunny days in which everything seemed happy. This painting is SOLD

Morden Fireglow 2010, Acrylic on Masonite 7 x 18 inches What can I say? When my kids ask me what my favorite color is I always answer, "Red." This painting is about having some fun with color, texture and composition. There are several layers of pigment supporting the final image that floats on top of it all. I recently purchased a jazz album my cousin released with his group Small City Trio , and I think the music influenced this piece. The title relates to a rose called the Morden Fireglow, a flower developed in my part of the world and known for its intense variety of reds. So, we have a painting influenced by roses and jazz. A glass of champagne, please! SOLD

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!