Kelsey Raymond

Biography:

Kelsey Raymond

A popular Nova Scotia painter, Kelsey Ogden Raymond (aka: Kelsey Raymond) was born in New York City, and died in Digby, Nova Scotia, near Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia where he had lived since the 1950s. (2)

Raymond's primary medium was oil paint applied with a palette knife. His subjects included coastal scenes, landscapes, historic buildings, portraits and figures. His styles were Impressionism* and Realism*.

Quote: "Thickly painted by use of a palette-knife, Kelsey Raymond's interpretations never become sentimental or 'touristy' in appeal. Lobster-pots, nets and wharf-litter have consciously been set aside by the artist in favor of the fundamental qualities of movement, mass and form. Rarely, if ever, have I seen rocky landscapes and raging seas painted with more characteristic strength and artistic honesty." (3)

His education included studies at the Horton Academy, Wolfville, Nova Scotia (before World War II); Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia (briefly, after serving in World War II), the National Academy of Design*, New York City (one year scholarship, c.1946); with Jerry Farnsworth (c.1946); at the Art Students League of New York*, New York City (c.1946), under Edwin Dickinson, Robert Beverly Hale, Julian Edwin Levi and Kenneth Hayes Miller; and at the Mount Allison School of Fine and Applied Arts, Sack­ville, N.B. (Sept.1950-March 1952), under Alex Colville and Lawren Phillips Harris. (4)(5)(6)

For many years Raymond sold his paintings from the "Cabin" in the Village of Smith's Cove. His paintings were also the subject of a solo exhibition at Ars Classica Gallery, Montreal in 1960.

In the summer of 1998, Raymond was the subject of a solo exhibition titled "Structures" at the Admiral Digby Museum, Digby, Nova Scotia. The Admiral Digby Museum is currently planning a Kelsey Raymond exhibition titled "Boats" for the summer of 2015.

Source: Askart