First Friday - Lester Raymer & The Red barn Studio Museum

The Red Barn Studio is filled with Raymer’s art and handiwork, from paintings and prints to ceramics and metalwork, from woodcarving to stitchery, furniture and jewelry. His work is influenced by his love for the world’s great painters, especially the Spanish and Italian masters, the Southwest and Mexico, religious symbolism, and folk art.

Raymer considered painting and printmaking his most important work, which he studied at the Chicago Art Institute, but he worked in almost every medium. Each year he created a special Christmas gift for his wife, Ramona. These gifts included painted boxes, candlesticks, and other decorative items. In 1960, Lester began the tradition of making toys every Christmas for Ramona. He made 56 toys over a period of 30 years. Examples of these gifts and toys are on display at the Red Barn Studio.