Dragonfly Fantasy, Fifth Fantasy

In 1919, while teaching at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, Raymond Jonson was awarded the New York City MacDowell Association scholarship and traveled to the MacDowell Colony in Petersbourgh, New Hampshire. In his journal entry on July 6, 1919, Jonson writes: "The country here is very nice --rather more dreamy and poetic than strong, rugged and fascinating like the western mountains. It is such that my mind rather dreams along composing imaginative arrangements." (E. Garman, The Art of Raymond Jonson, Painter, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1976, pp. 40-1) Dragonfly Fantasy, Fifth Fantasy is an exemplary work to come from the inspired and relaxed atmosphere of the MacDowell Colony. Jonson incorporates a highly decorative pattern throughout the composition with a vivid palette and rich, textured brushwork. This work is one of the first paintings completed on this trip to New Hampshire and demonstrates the imagination, playfulness and freedom that the artist experienced.