Tuesday, March 3, self-taught artist Raymond Logan spoke to Moorpark College Professor Erika Lizée‘s class about his current exhibit “ColorWorks,” which is displayed in the Moorpark College Administration building.
Raymond Logan earned a BFA from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Raymond Logan’s work is exhibited throughout Southern California.
The Administration building updates its gallery with a new exhibit every month, “ColorWorks” will remain on display through March 23.
Featuring colorful oil paintings of vintage objects, Raymond Logan’s work greatly captured the attention of viewers. The reception gave students a chance to appreciate unique art, as well as listen to Raymond Logan speak about his pieces and experience.
Beginning at 11 a.m., Raymond Logan spoke to Professor Lizée‘s class in Room 136 of the Applied Arts building. During his talk, Raymond Logan expressed how significant color is to his work.
“You learn that every color is wonderful. Every color can be used, and you can wield it like a sword,” Raymond Logan stated.
Raymond Logan further described the experience of working with color, stating that every color has strengths and weaknesses, and it is necessary to learn to adapt to it. Aside from color, texture is another detail of Raymond Logan’s work.
“I think that texture is a byproduct of my color work. Color is everything to me,” Raymond Logan emphasized.
Raymond Logan has even created colorful pieces from paintings that were originally black and white. For instance, portraits of people that are no longer alive, such as Abraham Lincoln and Edgar Allen Poe. Raymond Logan gives these original pieces a whole new look, using pops of color.
One of Raymond Logan’s pieces, titled “Smiley” was brought to the classroom for display. The oil painting depicted a smiley-faced pencil sharpener. Next to the painting stood the actual pencil sharpener. Raymond Logan stated he owns all the objects in his paintings.
Julie Logan, Raymond Logan’s wife of 24 years, said “Smiley” is her favorite piece from the “ColorWorks” set. Julie Logan shared that the pencil sharpener was her own from growing up, a gift from an uncle who came from Japan.
With the experience of taking art classes in high school and college, Julie Logan supports and is able to provide opinions to Raymond.
“He knows that I have an eye for certain things,” Julie Logan stated.
After Raymond Logan’s discussion with Lizée‘s art class, the students walked over to the Administration building to view the exhibit. Many students gathered in the hallway to view the object paintings of box cameras, toy robots and more. Although not limited to painting old objects, Raymond Logan admires the aesthetic.
“I admire designers of old, especially industrial designers,” Raymond Logan shared.
A popular piece from the exhibit was “VW Bus,” a large oil painting of a white and blue Volkswagen that several students came to admire. Hailey Hanstad, a first-year student at Moorpark College, expressed how the painting gave off a calm feeling.
“It’s such a way to express yourself without words,” Hanstad expressed.
Student Robert Chiarelli is in a 2D design class that listened to Raymond Logan and visited the exhibit as a part of the lecture. Although Chiarelli is a photographer, he had a great appreciation for the type of art Raymond Logan creates.
“It brings a different mindset to how artists do their work,” Chiarelli shared.
For more information about Raymond Logan, visit his website.
