R.J. Richard Vander Meer Canadian Original Pastel

Updated September 18, 2026

This auction ended on October 4, 2026. See upcoming auctions from Oakwood Auctions.

Lot number	501
Estimate	50.00 - 100.00 USD
Auction	October Art & Collectibles- 2-DAY Auction
Date	October 4, 2026 at 11:00 PM EDT
Auction house	Oakwood Auctions
Location	Stouffville

A richly colored original pastel painting by Canadian artist R.J. (Richard J.) Vander Meer (b. 1958), presenting a quintessential rural landscape centered upon a weathered timber barn with a brilliant red roof, framed by mature trees, open meadow, distant blue-green hills, and a luminous cloud-filled sky. Signed “R.J. Vandermeer” at the lower right, this substantial 20 x 26-inch work exemplifies the artist’s longstanding engagement with the landscape of Ontario and his accomplished handling of pastel as a primary artistic medium. Born in Barrie, Ontario, Vander Meer began drawing and painting at an early age before undertaking formal Fine Arts studies at the Ontario College of Art. His documented career includes the John Alfsen Award for proficiency in Fine Art in 1988, the Dorothy Stevens Award for proficiency in painting and drawing in 1989, Best in Show for Watercolour and Pastel at Barrie’s Kempenfest in 1991, and Best Traditional Painting at the Midland Arts Festival in 1992. Vander Meer has subsequently maintained a professional artistic practice in Ontario, and the Barrie Art Club has featured him as an instructor specifically in soft pastel and landscape painting, underscoring the importance of both medium and subject within his oeuvre. This composition demonstrates the qualities that give Vander Meer’s landscapes their immediate visual appeal. A gently curving country lane draws the viewer from the foreground toward the barn, establishing convincing spatial recession, while the building itself provides the pictorial anchor through vigorous vertical passages of ochre, amber, brown, charcoal, and yellow. The saturated crimson roof creates a striking chromatic counterpoint to the surrounding greens and cool atmospheric blues. Broad, softly blended pastel passages articulate sky and mountain forms, while more energetic linear marks enliven the grasses, foliage, weathered boards, and architectural details. The exposed working edge of the pastel further emphasizes the immediacy and hand-worked character of the original composition. Vander Meer is particularly associated with Canadian and Ontario landscape subjects, and examples of his pastel landscapes continue to appear in the decorative and secondary art market. His work has also been included in discussions of artists depicting the Georgian Bay region, reinforcing the regional landscape tradition within which his practice may be understood. An especially appealing example for collectors of Richard Vander Meer paintings, Canadian art, Ontario landscape paintings, original pastel art, rural farm scenes, barn paintings, pastoral landscapes, Georgian Bay and Central Ontario art, and contemporary Canadian works on paper. Artist: R.J. (Richard J.) Vander Meer (Canadian, b. 1958). Medium: original pastel on paper. Subject: rural barn and pastoral mountain landscape. Signature: signed lower right “R.J. Vandermeer.” Paper dimensions: 20 x 26 inches. Date and specif

R.J. Richard Vander Meer Canadian Original Pastel

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