Blue Symphony by Orestes (Rick) Nicholas de Grandmaison

Born in Calgary, Alberta, the son of portrait painter Nikola de Grandmaison, he studied at the Banff School of Fine Arts under Frederick Taylor and at the Chelsea School, London, England under Pickforth and Hodgson; then under his father; an at the Winnipeg School of Art. In 1957 he spent a year painting in Spain, England and Portugal. He travelled to England and France (Paris) again to paint in 1963.

One of his paintings was chosen to honour President Eisenhower and he was awarded the honour of guest artist in Calgary where he exhibited at the Calgary stampede (1962). David Thomson writing o Grandmaison's exhibit at the Canadian Art Galleries, Calgary, in 1965 noted the following, “The artist is apparently bored with the same old canvas and is exploring the possibilities of varied expression in this large collection of mainly landscapes and harbour scenes. There is a definite split in the show-- the small paintings, beautifully handled in bold strokes and individual and subtle colour combinations...The show is well worth visiting. Apart from enjoying the artist's skill, it is refreshing to see this spirit of development in work of a more traditional vein.”

The artist was a member of the Institute of Western Canadian Artists (1965) and was Vice President.

Source: "A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume I: A-F", compiled by Colin S. MacDonald, Canadian Paperbacks Publishing Ltd, Ottawa, 1977