Raymond Henry St. Arnaud
Encyclopedia
Raymond Henry St. Arnaud was born on June 24, 1942 in Edmonton
, Alberta
, Canada
. He is a Canadian photographer who centres his photography on a series of personal obsessions often using close-ups with extreme lighting as his preferred technique.
Since photography always remained an interest of St. Arnaud's, he took a job at his local National Film Board Office. During his time there, he took films home by the caseload and watched them – going through the entire library in just a year and intensifying his obsession with photography. He subsequently enrolled in a two-year program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
. He also holds a BA with a Fine Arts Major, from the University of Alberta
.
He would often take on jobs for a few months at a time, then leave and use the money he had earned to pursue his next photography project. At one point in his life, he left his job to take a series of landscape photos – fifteen of which ended up in Canada's National Gallery.
When he moved to [Victoria, British Columbia], he started working for Camosun College on a temporary basis and stayed for 20 years.
Raymond St. Arnaud's work has been included in 150 exhibitions since 1969 and he has had 15 solo exhibitions. In December 2010, he was included in the PrintedArt collection and has since then been one of its most prolific artists.
In choosing a subject, Raymond St. Arnaud tends to focus on a single idea and then fully immerse himself in it for an extended period of time. He has an elaborate body of work for each subject he has pursued.
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He is a Canadian photographer who centres his photography on a series of personal obsessions often using close-ups with extreme lighting as his preferred technique.
Early life
Raymond St. Arnaud grew up in Northern Alberta and became interested in photography during high school. However, his family did not have the resources to allow him to pursue a hobby or career in the field thus cutting short his early ambition.Since photography always remained an interest of St. Arnaud's, he took a job at his local National Film Board Office. During his time there, he took films home by the caseload and watched them – going through the entire library in just a year and intensifying his obsession with photography. He subsequently enrolled in a two-year program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology is located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and provides technical training and applied education designed to meet the demands of Alberta's industries...
. He also holds a BA with a Fine Arts Major, from the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
.
Work
St. Arnaud has never had the traditional career of a working photographer – during most of his life, art, painting and photography have been more of a hobby or preoccupation. While he has had occasional paying photography jobs, he has almost always earned an income independently of photography.He would often take on jobs for a few months at a time, then leave and use the money he had earned to pursue his next photography project. At one point in his life, he left his job to take a series of landscape photos – fifteen of which ended up in Canada's National Gallery.
When he moved to [Victoria, British Columbia], he started working for Camosun College on a temporary basis and stayed for 20 years.
Raymond St. Arnaud's work has been included in 150 exhibitions since 1969 and he has had 15 solo exhibitions. In December 2010, he was included in the PrintedArt collection and has since then been one of its most prolific artists.
Photographic style
Raymond St. Arnaud's recent work is decidedly deviating from more purist photography and he is freely using digital tools to sharpen and enhance his imagery. His elaborate work on flower close-ups with intense lighting has brought him international recognition as both a graphic artist and photographer. His series "Reflections: Pre-Millennium Landscapes" focuses on antique cars and reflections seen by the camera on close-ups of the polished metal. He is part of a movement that is categorized as "Visual Artists using Photography".In choosing a subject, Raymond St. Arnaud tends to focus on a single idea and then fully immerse himself in it for an extended period of time. He has an elaborate body of work for each subject he has pursued.
Exhibitions and publications
Raymond St. Arnaud has published 14 books and has shown his work at over 150 exhibitions. A short list:Notable Solo Exhibitions
- Outside the Box solo exhibitions in Reno, NV and Dublin, OH
- Helen Smith Gallery in Auburn Washington
- Southern Light Gallery in Amarillo
- 3-day sale on GILT.com
Group Exhibitions
- SigGraph 2003
- metaLphor at Art Institute of California, San Diego. Two simultaneous exhibitions from September 1 to October 1, 2011
- Theater of the Mind 2002
- Eye Appeal
- Homage
- Beecher Center Digital Art Competition 2001
- Art Incognito
- ASCI Digital 2002
Online Exhibitions
- Saatchi Gallery
- Collection X
- Local Artists
- Adobe Photographer Directory
- 1998 International Art Contest
- Artoteque
- 2Modern
- Tom R Chambers
Books
- Secrets from the museums of Paris
- Random Walks
- Sortie ... the Running Man
- 27 after 25
- As Seen On TV
- Outside the Box
- Reflections: The Pre-Millennium Landscapes
- Visit to a Surrey Townhouse
- The Forced March
- The Dysfunctional Photographer
- The Amdahl Graphics
- Solo Artist's First Flight
- Island Illustrators
- Frank Gurney ... engraver
- Evenlyn de R. McMann: Biographical Index of Artists in Canada (University of Toronto)
Other Publications
- The Island Illustrator Society...25th anniversary...68 studio visits
- Digital Art Guild
- Opus Framing & Art
- New Trail (University of Alberta)
- Will the Real Alberta Please Stand Up (in New Trail)
External links
- National Gallery of Canada
- Raymond St. Arnaud's Work in the PrintedArt Collection
- Raymond St. Arnaud's Photography Website
- Series of Exhibitions in 2001
- Outside the Box Exhibition in Reno, NV
- MetaLphor Exhibition, San Diego 2011
- Focus Magazine
- Raymond St. Arnaud's Poetry
- Raymond St. Arnaud's Dysfunctional Photographer Blog
- The Force March Blog