William Raymond was born in Honduras in 1991. He was adopted by an American mother and father from the U.K. and arrived in the United States four months later. He first lived in Hopewell Junction and then they moved to the town in Lagrangeville, NY. He was influenced at a young age about art from his Elementary school art teacher who introduced him to art, He studied art with her in grades first through five and again in eighth grade in middle school. He went to high school to continue on with regular classes and do more classes learning how to make colors mix together and how a face could be properly drawn out, and made a few more sculptures in class. In 2009 Will was given his Eagle Scout rank and is something he try’s to continue to follow by being helpful and friendly to all he meets. Will graduated high school early then most because he did an online school where he graduated two years early but stayed one final year in high school before going to college. Ulster Community College is where he went, to continue farther in to the arts, going in as a fine arts major where he would enhance his craft in paints, charcoal, drawing, designing and pastels. For the final art Gallery show he got to display one of his art works in the gallery in the school, for every person to see. He graduated in 2011 with is Associates degree in fine arts and then went on in spring of 2012 after a semester break from school, he went on to began at the Massachusetts School of the Liberal Arts (MCLA). Where he goes currently for his bachelor’s in arts
The nature like aspects in his art projects is influenced by his life as a Boy Scout. He got his ideas of flames from the camp fires he would make and assemble and stare at for a long period of time. This is what gave him the idea of the light source inside the cubes, with fires and flames and even flames with more then just reds and oranges, found other colors to add into the flames. He has done other artworks using nature like aspects but not as much as he has for his cubes with nature in them.
In the area that he lives at has woods and lots of grass land around his area, which may influence his art works with nature around him, and uses it for his artworks with vines growing on the house he lives. He has also gained his influence for his artworks from the camping that he does through boy scouts. Will takes what he sees from the fires that he would stare at and see the colors and what forms they show, and the fires are what he uses for the inside of his Cubes where you can see the worlds that wouldn’t have been able to be seen without the light to show what’s not have been able to be seen by the normal eye. His creative ideas have made people look at it closely and wonder what they are seeing. William Raymond plans to continue working on this series and make it even better, till there is nothing left for him to be able to use for this idea, and hopefully will move to a new series to help in his growth.
Elemental Connections 