Vaskelis - Biography

Born in 1947, and raised in Montreal, Canada, Richard Vaskelis starts at an early age as a part time student at l’École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, then later, on a full time, 3 years scholarship, at the School of Art and Design of the Montreal Museum of Fine Art, under the direction of Arthur Lismer of the Group of Seven.

Vaskelis meets Allan Harrison, R.C.A. in 1979 and for 10 years, Harrison will be his mentor, teacher and friend.

Richard Vaskelis’ paintings are on exhibit in many countries: USA, France, Mexico, Western Canada. He is a member of the prestigious Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts de France and was awarded “Le prix de l’Arc de Triomphe”, in Paris in 2002, for an exhibit at the Carousel du Louvre.

Sur le chemin de Tremblant
On the road to Tremblant
Oil on wood
24’’ x 36’’

Oeuvre exposée au Caroussel du Louvre en 2001

Il reçoit le Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, décerné par l’association des Amis de Jean-François Millet. En 2002, il expose à Vincennes. 2003, à la Mairie de Paris, 2004, à Chartres et en 2005, deux prestigieuses expositions solo: en septembre, l’inauguration de la grande bibliothèque de la Ville de Mont-Tremblant et de la nouvelle salle Alphonse Desjardins
et en novembre, comme artiste invité de la Mairie de Francourville, France.

Depuis 1967, il voyage à travers le Québec pour peindre et dessiner sur le motif. Il parcourt également les musées d’Europe et d’Amérique pour y admirer les chef d’oeuvres du passé : peintres tel Bonnard, Matisse et Morandi, lesquels lui procurent une grande inspiration.

Richard Vaskelis expose en galerie depuis 1979. Ses oeuvres comprennent des aquarelles, des huiles et des dessins qui sont toujours imprégnés d’une grande intensité. La création
artistique est pour lui une vision de la beauté qui se manifeste par des oeuvres d’une grande sensibilité, tant par la couleur que par la composition.

Travailler sur un thème est pour lui un défi et un plaisir; dans la toile « Moment de
lecture » sur une commande des Immeubles Tremblant ou « La Lectrice » un panneau
de 5 pieds par 6 pour l’innauguration de la Bibliothèque de Mt-Tremblant, sur la
demande de la ville de Mt-Tremblant.

Moment de lecture
The reader
Oil on wood
48’’ x 60’’

Le Soleil de Tremblant,
Tremblant's sun
Acrylic on wood
48’’ x 48’’

Commentaires de l’artiste.

« La Rivière Rouge is a favorite subject of mine. Running on almost 200
kilometers, this magnificent river snakes across all those lovely
villages: Brébeuf, La Conception, Labelle. I not only enjoyed going
down in a canoe in my younger years, but even now love swimming
and pique-niquing on those reddish sand banks that give the water
this ever changing color with the time of day and the seasons. Every
detour of the road offers a new perspective and I foresee painting that
elusive subject forever. »

Rivière rouge en automne
Red River in the fall
Oil on canvas
30’’ x 36’’

La maison rouge
The Red House
Oil on canvas
24’’ x 30’’

This old house on the Chemin du Tour Carré in Brébeuf, has been a
favorite of mine for many years. I have painted it in all seasons from
early spring to the fall. I particularly like it in August, with the mass of
Golden Rods in profusion in all ditches and fields.

Arundel countryside is another unending source of subjects; rich
cultivated fields, soft rounded collins, old farmhouses. One of my
prefered is the house of the Bennets. The year after this painting was
completed, the old barn collapsed, changing somewhat the view, but
the little house on the hill is at it’s loveliest in July, with a riot of wild
flowers in the foreground.

La ferme des Bennets
The Bennets' farm
Oil on canvas
24’’ x 30’’

I love to travel and I always bring all my painter’s paraphernalia (witch
brings me a lot of hassles with airport security).
Guadeloupe is a beautiful Caribbean Island to escape some of our cold
winter and I brought back several lengths of Madras, the colorful
cottons used in the women’s traditional dresses and headgears. They
also weave those lovely baskets right on the beach La Perle, with
leaves of palm tree.

Panier de fruits
Fruits in a basket
Oil on canvas
30’’ x 14’’

	Ruelle à Ferry, Guadeloupe A lane in Ferry, Guadeloupe Oil on wood 10’’ x 12’’
	Panier de fruits, la nuit Fruit basket at night Oil on canvas 10’’ x 12’’
		Panier de fruits, la nuit Oil on canvas 10’’ x 12’’

What attracted me to that composition is the contrast between the warm colors of the fruits in the inside and the cold light of the snow and blue railing outside. Both sides of the glass have a “contre-jour” effect, a kind of against the light.	Fleurs et fruits séchés Dried lowers and fruits Oil on canvas 24’’ x 30’’
§§§

Publications

2004	L'Univers des Arts, Octobre 2004
2004	Catalog from the Exhibition « Palette de la Cité », Paris
2001	Catalog of the Collection des Arts 2001 (Japanese Edition)
2001	Catalog of the Nationale des Beaux Arts 2001