Gaolape - Oil on Canvas - 2006
Artist of the Week
Jean-Marc Raymond
By Lyndsie Bourgon
Posted August 14th, 2007.
MONDO: How and when did you become interested in art?
Jean-Marc Raymond: That is such a loaded question… I don’t remember ever not being interested in art. I had great parents who always had a ton of supplies for us to work with whenever we wanted. My interest in part likely stemmed from two places: my family (I am the youngest of three who were all interested in art, and my parents were always interested in it -- my Dad was into drafting as a youngster, and my mom still putts around painting, digital art, and photography), and our “Pack-O-Fun” magazine subscription— I used to go into back issues to find projects to do at home.
In high school I got into [art] as a hobby, and I had no clue what to study when it came time for post secondary. I figured it was something I loved, so I could surely work something out…. And so I did.
Morse Code. William Woodruff - Oil on Board - 2007
MONDO: How would you explain your art?
JMR: There are many ways in which I explain my art; it all depends on the contextual setting for the explanation. When I speak of my painting, I most often refer to memories, because in terms of content, I always use nostalgic anecdotes to start me off. A lot of what I do is inspired by my youth and characters that have influenced me one way or another. I find history very interesting, so I like incorporating facts into my work, as well as telling a story that has likely never been heard (and certainly never recorded in text books), which always helps me speak about each piece individually.
La Cuillere - Oil on Board - 2007
My work is often concerned with the human figure; however, straight portraiture is not necessarily my thing. I don’t usually look to try to reproduce picture perfect silhouettes or features; I like barely roughing them in and then letting my mind create the rest of the portrait.
Some of my paintings are on a bas-relief base made of Medium Density Fibreboard. In my portrait of my great-grandfather, William Woodruff, who was a telegraph operator for the railroads in Northern Ontario, I drilled the dots and dashes that spell out “Vulnérable”. In its companion piece, La Cuillère (which refers to Woodruff’s wife, Edouardina), the dots and dashes spell “Symbols”. Each piece is slightly biographical in that I tried to use symbols appropriate to their stories.
Girl in a Landscape - Oil on Canvas - 2007
To touch on some of the formal elements of my work, I have a very specific palette from which I like to work, which is very strong on browns and earth tones accompanied by cool colors such as turquoises, purples and so on. My work is also very painterly: I love the look of a stroke left by a paintbrush, so I never attempt to hide the evidence of my brushwork, rather I embrace it and try to use it to create patterns and design elements in themselves.
MONDO: Who are some of your influences, both artistically and not?
JMR: I have never been easily influenced, nor have I ever been really into admiration. There are plenty of people whose works I respect, but it’s hard to say that I have had great artistic influences. I guess to an extent, my Nipissing University art professors at all had an influence. Mostly I would say that one of them stands out as having played a significant role in my artistic development. Denis Geden is now the head of the Fine Art/Visual Art Department at the university, and he always supported my decision to work figuratively, and encouraged me to explore other aspects of my painting.
I would also say that my uncle Denis has always influenced me. He was one of those characters in my childhood that I always admired. He was a traveller and an artist, and always had something interesting to talk about; although we rarely saw him growing up, I always admired his work.
In terms of non-artistic influences, people on a day-to-day basis influence me. I really don’t know how to answer that. The people I work with, my circles of friends, my family; they do it for me, but I just don’t know what “it” is.
MONDO: In the summer of 2006, you participated in the World University’s Services of Canada International Seminar Botswana. You travelled with 21 other Canadians across Botswana for six weeks working on various projects, volunteering, and conducting research work. How did this trip influence your work?
Turquoise profile with red dots - Oil on Board - 2006
JMR: As flaky as it may sound, that whole experience has had an affect on my work. I went two months without touching a pencil or paintbrush, and by depriving myself I realized that I was committed to my work, thus supporting my decision (which I spontaneously made before leaving) to withdraw from teachers college in favour of a career more immersed in the arts. While in Botswana, I decided that I would eventually pursue a masters and all that junk, but it also just influenced me to work when I got back -- to paint, and to continue figurative work (in less traditional brushwork, however), and to play more with my supports and so on.
MONDO: What do you have planned for now and in the future?
JMR: Right now, I am working at the WKP Kennedy Gallery in North Bay, Ontario, so I plan on working till my contract ends. My job is mainly concerned with media-based arts, so when I finish, I want to work on some video.
Girl in an Urban Jungle - Oil on Canvas - 2007
I have some plans brewing—I want to continue painting, and hopefully travel more. This time around, I would like to have some supplies with me to produce work while abroad, so that I can work instinctively. I like getting an idea and following through right away: it seems to be truer to what I get inspired by and less stale, and I don’t have to worry about over-thinking the concept. So I think that is all I can say that I haven’t already said, without jinxing myself.
MONDO: Anything else you’d like to add?
JMR: I think I might bore people if I go on any longer about myself.