Meet Radeaux

Today we’d like to introduce you to Radeaux.

Hi Radeaux, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Long-time artist painting the natural world around me. I have had numerous one-person shows of my work. I study nature daily. As a field ornithologist, I have illustrated two landmark Colorado Breeding Bird Atlases. I do bird surveys and butterfly surveys for various scientific organizations. As a longtime art gallery owner, I represent upcoming and many renowned regional artists. With my spouse, I have been involved in other business ventures too.

I have been married for 50 years to a spouse who is also an artist and has been very supportive of my career. I have two grown daughters and two granddaughters. The daughters are also involved in the arts. I am also an avid art collector. I always say the most grassroots way to support the arts is to buy art from local artists.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s always a challenge for an artist to gain recognition. Persistence, stubbornness, and willingness to accept rejection are keys to keeping going. Being in a town that has many misconceptions about it has been an obstacle. Keeping an art gallery open is a challenge. It has helped that I was able to buy the large historic building that houses my gallery and sky-lit studio space.

It is also a challenge to cultivate art collectors. Showing up on a consistent daily basis is key. To quote Ted Turner “Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise”. Using a pseudonym has also been somewhat of an obstacle but I am a registered tradename.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My art focuses on nature and patterns in nature. It is design-oriented and not spontaneous. Repetition and rhythm set my art apart. The realistic fauna in my work is currently painted life-size. I observe the nature art of various cultures and often incorporate it into my art.

I paint watercolor on paper and acrylic on canvas. I have done numerous illustrations and posters for scientific organizations. I did the logos for the Denver Field Ornithologists and the Colorado Field Ornithologists.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Born in Denver and raised in Pueblo. I went to college in the Midwest to study biology. I studied some studio art and art history. That and numerous visits to major art museums made me decide I wanted to pursue an art career.

After seeing a retrospective of Georgia O’keefes paintings at the Chicago Art Institute I realized my heart was in the southwest. I moved with my new bride back to my hometown. To not embarrass my family with my fledgling art career, I chose to use a pseudonym.

In college, I lived near five guys with the same first name, we all had nicknames. Being from Colorado and prone to wearing cowboy boots and jeans I was named “Colorado” and then shortened to “Rado”. I frenched it up to Radeaux when I began signing my paintings.

Contact Info:

• Website: JohnDeauxartgallery.com
• Instagram: @Radeauxart