Raymond Chorneau Exhibition
Salty
Sometimes, a simple piece of art carries more than what meets the eye. Simplicity in form and subject often lends itself to deeper meaning and process. It is no question that every piece harbors its own unique soul as each is created as a reflection of the artist’s personality and interests.
The Art Cellar Gallery represents artists from a wide array of backgrounds with interests and inspirations that span the globe. Everything from traditional realist landscapes to wild non-objective abstracts can be found within the walls. One artist that falls somewhere on the middle of this spectrum is Raymond Chorneau who draws from the abstract expressionists in the 1940s and 50s.
Raymond is a mostly self-taught painter originally from Los Angeles, California. He was born in 1952 and was exposed to many influential California artists at a young age. In addition to the strong inspiration he garnered from the Bay Area Figurative Painters he was also heavily moved by cave paintings. “If you look at the cave paintings in France the images are powerful. Nothing in our history has been more significant than those cave paintings. You can say the painters of the Renaissance were more articulate but the cave painters were more significant on a soul level. They came from somewhere deep within human existence.” - Raymond Chorneau - Mountain Times.”
This ‘soul’ that Raymond refers to in the cave paintings is evident in his own work. With his loose representational figures that are almost primal in nature, it is often difficult to tell whether the figure is merging or emerging into the background. Layers are built up on the canvas or paper with wax and oil then scratched into to reveal the color below before more color is deposited on top. This process gives his work a unique texture and complex visual effect which is juxtaposed with his often simplistic subject matter.
The artist became popular in the area when he lived in Blowing Rock from the early ‘90s to 2012. He then moved to France for a brief time and took up photography while taking a break from painting. Luckily, he returned to the states and to painting a short time later; he now lives in Portland, Oregon with his partner and fellow artist - Ruth Hunter.
An exhibition for Raymond Chorneau will be held at The Art Cellar Gallery Monday, August 23 through Saturday, September 4. Join us for an open house on Saturday, August 28 from 4 to 6pm. Raymond’s exhibition will conclude our Summer Season Show Schedule. Visit www.artcellargallery.com for a sneak peak of the works that will be included in the show!