John Traynor

Biography

John was born October 19, 1961. He spent his early years in Chester and Mendham New Jersey. His art studies began at Delbarton School in Morristown New Jersey; from there he went to Paier College of Art in New Haven Connecticut. He studied figure painting at the Art Students League of New York, as a merit scholar, with Frank Mason, as well as landscape painting with Mason in Vermont. Traynor studied drawing with Carroll N Jones Jr. of Stowe, Vermont and he studied sculpture for one year with Brother Jerome Cox in Florence, Italy. Traynor travels extensively painting the landscape around him. He has made numerous painting expeditions to Ireland as well as trips to Holland, Brussels, Italy, and France. John currently resides with his family in southern New Hampshire and enjoys painting rural New England scenes. Traynor is a member of the Hudson Valley Art Association, The Salmagundi Club of New York, The National Society of Mural Painters, and he is a Copley Master in the Copley Society of Boston.

Style

Mr. Traynors’ painting style is reminiscent of some 19th century painters. He uses what he knows about light and color to create mood and atmosphere. Using soft and hard edges selectively, he gives a feeling that there is air with moisture and particles surrounding the objects he is painting. Like master John Singer Sargent, Traynor is brilliant in his use of thick, lush strokes of paint. Painting outdoors on location is a prime source of inspiration and ideas for Traynor’s landscapes. Smaller paintings are often finished indoors or used as studies for larger works painted solely in his studio. Still life painting is done in his studio, as are his portrait commissions.

Statement

Being an artist means that everything I look at is analyzed by form, color, and tone. I love the randomness and spontaneity of nature; I appreciate the structure of architecture and the beauty of good design. When I paint I am relating what I see, what I'm appreciating, regardless of whether I'm painting a landscape, a still life or a portrait. I want to share what I see with the viewer, the spontaneity, the structure and the beauty of what is all around us.

Honors

Mr. Traynor is the recipient of over two hundred awards of merit for his art, including the Grumbacher Gold Medal, the Salmagundi N.C. Wyeth award, Robb Sagendorph award, and the Frank Dumond Memorial Award for best light and atmospheric effect in a painting. His work is enjoyed in over one thousand private and public collections in the United States and abroad, including the Passaic Country College, the Patterson Historical Museum, the Ironbound Education and Cultural Center, Connecticut Bank and Trust, the Sony Music Corporation, and McGraw Hill Publishers. SELECTED SOLO SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS American Impressionists, The Harrison Gallery, Williamstown MA American Masters at the Salmagundi Club NYC Whistler House Museum, Lowell MA Cahoon Museum, Cotuit MA Attleboro Museum, Attleboro MA Salmagundi Club, New York, NY Copley Society, Patrons Choice 2001-2007 Stobart Foundation, New England Painters of Today Saint Anselm College Manchester NH Harvard Club, Boston MA Hudson Valley Art Association Ridgewood Art Institute, Ridgewood, NJ Chubb Insurance Group, Corporate Gallery Copley Society, Boston, MA Crane Collection, Wellesley MA The Christina Gallery, Martha’s Vineyard MA J.M. Stringer Gallery, Bernardsville, NJ Portnoy Galleries, Carmel CA

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