John Raynard - The Painter and The Poet
Artist

Artist

John Raynard resides in Ajax, Ontario, Canada.  He started painting in 2001 at the behest and with the support of his wife, Louise.  He is self-taught and works in a variety of media, including Acrylics, Pastels, Pen and Ink, and more recently, Oils.
 
John studied Engineering in the United Kingdom before emigrating to Canada in 1967.
 

Limited Edition Prints and Cards have been reproduced from some of his work at the request of his patrons.

Poet

Poet

In 2005, John started writing poetry and blank verse. Some of his poetic work is displayed alongside his art on this website.  He had the idea of combining the two visual streams of art, pictures and words, in his one-man show called "The Painter and the Poet" which was held in June 2005.
Inspiration

Inspiration

The inspiration for John’ s work comes from many sources, among them:
People: Standing on the Harwood Bridge in Ajax waiting for the cortege bearing the latest war casualty to pass below on its way to Toronto inspired his poem, Intrepid. These are certainly heroes that deserve honour and remembrance. When you think about it, however, it might also be said that Everybody is a Hero to someone, in some way (see poem by that name).
Nature: For almost four decades, John owned and lovingly maintained a cottage in the Haliburton Highlands of Ontario. It was here, in the beauty of “God’s Country”, that he found inspiration for many of his works.
Faith: See poem entitled The Journey.
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Swift River

The Saskatchewan River flows swiftly - not far from Brandon, Manitoba.

 
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Sunset Dancers

Painted from 'out of John's head'.  Perhaps from a movie or a book he'd seen or read years earlier.  Look carefully:  Can you detect the face on the leading man's chest?

 
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Northern Lights

Louise and John viewed the Aurora Borealis one August night in the Kananaskis area of Alberta - where the Rocky Mountains start to rise and where John's daughter was married.

 
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Distance Lends Enchantment to the View

This was the favourite dictum of John's Mother !  The distant, undulating hills act as a backdrop to the nursing mother and child.  The simple bench and wooden fence seem to separate the two scenes.  This painting (which Louise suggested be entitled "The First Supper") hangs on a wall adjacent to "The Last Supper", a painting by John's Dad completed in 1946.