Gordon Rayner

Gordon Rayner was a Canadian abstract expressionist painter. His way of creating art was idiosyncratic and characterized by constant innovation and often by transformation of his medium. Later, he integrated realism into his practice. As a young person, Gordon Rayner learned to paint from his father, a commercial artist and weekend painter, and from his father's close friend, Jack Bush. He spent 17 years working in commercial art, starting with Bush's commercial art firm, Wookey, Bush and Winter. An exhibition of Painters Eleven in 1955, and especially the work of William Ronald, which he visited with his friend, artist Dennis Burton, at Toronto's Hart House Gallery (today the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, Art Museum at the University of Toronto) turned him towards abstraction as did visits to the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo (now called the Buffalo AKG Art Museum), to see artists such as Willem de Kooning. Under the influence of the neo-Dada movement current in Toronto in the late 1950s and first half of the 1960s, Rayner began to combine found materials with his paintings. In 1966, he began a new period in his work centred around images of Magnetawan, an area 200 miles north of Toronto, north of the Muskoka District. It provided him with a favourite painting place in which he could experiment with materials and technique while demonstrating how to refer to nature without copying it in his work. To express his feelings, he used oblique references, a thick and expressionist technique, and sometimes found objects. These paintings were intuitive reinterpretations of landscapes dramatically conceived. Rayner showed his work with Toronto's Isaacs Gallery. For this reason, he has been called part of the Isaacs Group of artists, which include, among others, Michael Snow, Joyce Wieland, John Meredith and Graham Coughtry. In the 1980s, his work shifted direction to a new interest in the figure. He began to reinvent this crucial subject of art for himself using dimensions of the inner, more spiritual self and obliquely explored realism in the context of the body, painting himself in inventive scenes. Some of these paintings are called the Oaxaca Suite, since Rayner lived in Oaxaca in southern Mexico in 1993 and 1994.

Creator Id: 501
Web Site Link: Web Site Link
Virtual Collection: Original CCCA
Beginning Year: 1935
Country of Birth: Canada
Province of Birth: Ontario
Year of Birth: 1935
City: Toronto
Country: Canada
Type of Creator: Artist, Writer
Ending Year: 2010
Gender: Male
Living Status: Deceased
Mediums: commission, painting, public art
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Video

Rayner: Style

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Info: Style

Summary: Influence of Travel on Artistic Expression: The artist discusses how traveling has significantly influenced his work, especially through exposure to different cultures and their art. He shares experiences from visiting the Himalayas and northern Ontario, noting how these places profoundly impacted his creative output. The unique light of the Precambrian Shield in Ontario and the imagery of Tibetan Buddhism are examples of how specific environments have shaped his thematic and material choices in painting.

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Rayner: Recherche

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Info: Recherche

Summary: Artistic Process in Portraiture: This video delves into the artist's process of researching and creating portraits, highlighting the blend of historical investigation and creative interpretation. The artist spends significant time in libraries researching visual references for artists he intends to paint, often having to rely on black-and-white images or drawings by others due to the historical nature of his subjects. He describes the joy of inventing color schemes and settings, making each portrait a unique blend of historical fidelity and personal artistic vision.

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Rayner

Description: Les clips vidéo sont seulement en anglais. Vidéo © CCCA &Linda Corbett_Eyeris Inc. 2006 Remarque : le téléchargement des vidéos peut prendre de 15 à 30 seconde.

Info: Style

Summary: Artistic Process and Layered Painting Techniques: This video explores an artist's creative process, focusing on how he incorporates colors inspired by Indian sweets and landscapes into his paintings. He describes his method of layering paint, starting with a central image and gradually building up the canvas through multiple iterations. This technique involves continuous overpainting and adjusting until the desired depth and texture are achieved, illustrating a dynamic approach to painting that evolves over time.

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Rayner: Processus

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Info: Processus

Summary: Artistic Series and Creative Process: In this video, the artist discusses his approach to creating a series of artworks, emphasizing how his process is initially linear but becomes more dynamic as he progresses. He explains that while he may start with a straightforward representation, his imagination soon takes over, adding elements that weren't planned initially. This non-linear method allows for each piece in the series to influence the others, creating a richer and more interconnected body of work. The artist stresses the importance of allowing each session to alter his perception and introduce new ideas, which ensures that his work continues to evolve and reflect his changing perspective. This approach mirrors the organic growth of artistic expression and thought, akin to how stories develop and transform over time.

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Rayner: Influences 1

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Info: Influences 1

Summary: Ambitions and Apprenticeship in Art: The video features an artist reflecting on his early ambition to become a commercial illustrator and his apprenticeship with Jack Bush, a key figure in his development. He recounts his exposure to the transition from naturalistic to abstract art among Canadian artists, including vivid memories of the passionate debates among influential figures in the art scene. This formative period deeply influenced his artistic journey, fostering a profound appreciation for abstraction.

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Rayner: Influences 2

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Info: Influences 2

Summary: Finding and Creating an Artistic Voice: In this video, an artist discusses the crucial phase of developing his own artistic voice, emphasizing the challenge of shedding early influences to forge a unique path. He shares insights on the continual process of self-creation and evolution in art, highlighting the personal struggle to move beyond the shadows of his mentors and establish his individuality in the art world.

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Work by Gordon Rayner

March 30, 1959

Work ID: 19300

Measurements: 91.44 x 121.92 cm

Collection:

Date Made: 1959

Materials: oil on canvas

Virtual Collection: Original CCCA