{"id":127253,"date":"2026-01-21T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=127253"},"modified":"2026-01-21T12:19:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T17:19:45","slug":"a-room-with-a-view-richard-raiselis","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2026\/a-room-with-a-view-richard-raiselis\/","title":{"rendered":"A Room with A View"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin magazine-block-editorial-leadin is-style-text-over-image has-media has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-text-position-x-right has-text-position-y-top\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-2-SP26.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-2-SP26.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-2-SP26-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-2-SP26-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-2-SP26-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-2-SP26-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-2-SP26-1499x1000.jpg 1499w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-2-SP26-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-2-SP26-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-2-SP26-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photos by Sasha Pedro<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">CFA Faculty<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA Room with a View\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Painter and teacher Richard Raiselis has made his career by seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar magazine-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">January 21, 2026<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/authors\/marc-chalufour\/\">Marc Chalufour<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph magazine-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-dropcap-outlined has-dropcap\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>Two massive windows\u20148 feet high, 6 feet wide, 50 panes of glass combined\u2014dominate the north side of Richard Raiselis\u2019 studio. The picturesque view from the third floor of 808 Commonwealth Ave. includes the intersecting paths of the Green Line, the BU Bridge, and the Charles River in front of a panoramic expanse of Cambridge. Clouds drift over this scene toward Boston Harbor. A podium holding a small blank canvas sits on one sill.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Raiselis has occupied this studio since 1990 and has painted elements of that scene dozens, maybe hundreds, of times. He has also painted from offices and classrooms in 855 Comm Ave, dorm rooms in Warren Towers and Claflin Hall, and the roof of the School of Law. He spent a sabbatical year painting from a Questrom School of Business deck that overlooks Kenmore Square. He likes looking down at the city, preferably through a window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-3-SP26.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-3-SP26.jpg 2500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-3-SP26-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-3-SP26-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-3-SP26-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-3-SP26-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-3-SP26-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-3-SP26-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-3-SP26-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-3-SP26-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-3-SP26-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" \/><figcaption>Professor Richard Raiselis looks out toward the BU Bridge from his studio on Commonwealth Ave.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">In Warren Towers, Raiselis says, \u201cI had a nice rectangular picture window\u2014the frame was already built in.\u201d Sometimes he holds up a yardstick at arm\u2019s length to decide on the dimensions of a painting. Along one side of his studio, a collection of cloud paintings rest on shallow shelves. Some are as small as 4 x 4 inches. Leaning against the opposite wall is <em>Independence Day<\/em>, which measures 76 x 105 inches and shows Nickerson Field in the foreground and the Boston skyline in the distance. An expanse of clouds fills more than half of the canvas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-aside magazine-block-editorial-aside has-primary-background\">\n<p class=\"is-style-default\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/featured-work\/landscapes-near-me\/\">Landscapes Near Me<\/a><\/em>, a retrospective exhibit featuring Raiselis&#8217; work spanning three decades, runs January 20 through March 6, 2026 at 808 Gallery. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/news\/calendar\/?eid=314507\">reception<\/a> for the exhibition is Thursday, February 12, 5-7pm. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe light here in Boston is sensational,\u201d says Raiselis. \u201cThere\u2019s something about the weather, the climate, and the city of Boston\u2014which is brick red, blue sky, Fenway green\u2014that makes a beautiful kind of tapestry, a beautiful quilt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Raiselis retired as an associate professor in June 2025, after 36 years at CFA. Before moving out of his studio, he spent the summer and fall organizing an exhibit for Boston University Art Galleries. <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/featured-work\/landscapes-near-me\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/featured-work\/landscapes-near-me\/\">Landscapes Near Me<\/a><\/em>, a retrospective featuring Raiselis&#8217; work spanning three decades, runs January 20 through March 6, 2026 at 808 Gallery. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/news\/calendar\/?eid=314507\">reception<\/a> for the exhibition is Thursday, February 12, 5-7pm. Both the reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-thirds-1-1-1\">\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-1-SP26-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-1-SP26-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-1-SP26-424x636.jpg 424w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-1-SP26-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-1-SP26-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-1-SP26-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-1-SP26-667x1000.jpg 667w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-1-SP26.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-6-SP26-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-6-SP26-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-6-SP26-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-6-SP26-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-6-SP26-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-6-SP26-1499x1000.jpg 1499w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-6-SP26-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-6-SP26-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-6-SP26-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-6-SP26.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-5-SP26-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127238\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-5-SP26-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-5-SP26-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-5-SP26-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-5-SP26-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-5-SP26-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-5-SP26-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-5-SP26-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-5-SP26-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-5-SP26-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Making the Ordinary Extraordinary<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Much of Raiselis\u2019 work can be divided neatly into categories and eras. There are the cloud studies he did in the early 2000s, his power lines from the 2010s, and trees from the 2020s. Urban landscapes and reflections have remained a focus for decades. A unifying trait across all of his work is the inspiration he finds in ordinary settings. Raiselis paraphrases 19th-century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer to explain the challenge his subjects present: \u201cThe creative mind is capable of thinking something that no one else has thought before, while looking at something that everyone sees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2001\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-4-SP26.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-4-SP26.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-4-SP26-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-4-SP26-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-4-SP26-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-4-SP26-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-4-SP26-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-4-SP26-1499x1000.jpg 1499w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-4-SP26-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-4-SP26-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/A-Room-with-a-View_Raiselis-feature-4-SP26-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" \/><figcaption>Professor Richard Raiselis&#8217; studio in 808 Comm Ave<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Before coming to BU, Raiselis spent two years teaching in Italy. He didn\u2019t set up an easel at the Vatican or the Colosseum. He painted from his apartment\u2019s balcony or the terrace. \u201cI thought if I were any good, I could make something good happen with rather ordinary places,\u201d he says. \u201cI think the ordinary is pretty extraordinary if you give it a few moments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Raiselis\u2019 power line series perfectly encapsulates that sentiment. He came up with the idea while walking the family dog. \u201cCoco would look down and I would look up,\u201d he says. \u201cI found the power lines around the house, especially at dusk, just really beautiful.\u201d The paintings he made are as much about the sky as they are the crooked geometry of the poles and wires. Shades of blue and white-and-gray clouds mix to convey different types of weather and times of day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More often, Raiselis has found beauty looking down from a high vantage rather than gazing up from ground level. Early in his time at BU, he got permission to spend a summer working in a Warren Towers dorm room, where he painted the view of Kenmore Square and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1022\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-1024x1022.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127083\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-1024x1022.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-636x636.jpeg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-768x767.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-1536x1533.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-2048x2044.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-1002x1000.jpeg 1002w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-500x500.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-550x550.jpeg 550w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-710x710.jpeg 710w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-Boston-and-the-harbor-islands-600x600.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Boston and the Harbor Islands<\/em> (2017), oil on linen, 32 x 32 in. Courtesy of Richard Raiselis<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2006, with the help of an executive at a financial company, Raiselis got access to the unfinished floors of a building on State Street. He still remembers the first time he looked outside the window: \u201cThis VP said, \u2018OK, Richard\u2014close your eyes,\u2019 and she raised the blinds. It was a reflection of Boston in a wobbly glass building that just blew me away.\u201d He did this work off and on from 2006 through 2019 and created some of his favorite paintings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From State Street and two other buildings, Raiselis produced landscapes of the city that stretch to the Boston Harbor Islands and kaleidoscopic paintings of the city reflecting off the facades of office buildings. Distorted urban landscapes and patchworks of color\u2014the Boston reds, blues, and greens that he loves so much\u2014look almost impressionistic. Criss-crossed by the lines dividing the window panes, they also take on the look of mosaics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote magazine-block-bu-pullquote is-style-pop has-primary-theme\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">The light here in Boston is sensational.<br\/><\/div><footer class=\"caption\">Richard Raiselis<\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat quilt of color is so intense when you\u2019re high up,\u201d Raiselis says. \u201cIt\u2019s such a surprise. It\u2019s such an unconventional way to look at the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Grounded in the Basics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s something about painting a landscape when all of the colors are working in the right way,\u201d Raiselis says. \u201cYou get this dividend of not just an expression of the place, but an expression of the smell of the place, of the humidity of the place, of the wind, of the sound. And one can aspire to that. I think I do. It\u2019s an elusive catch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the classroom, one of Raiselis\u2019 tenets was establishing the fundamentals, to prepare his students for the challenge of interpreting their subjects and seeing something that nobody else has seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1019\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-On-That-December-Day-1019x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-127085\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-On-That-December-Day-1019x1024.jpeg 1019w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-On-That-December-Day-633x636.jpeg 633w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-On-That-December-Day-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-On-That-December-Day-768x771.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-On-That-December-Day-1529x1536.jpeg 1529w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-On-That-December-Day-2039x2048.jpeg 2039w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-On-That-December-Day-995x1000.jpeg 995w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/12\/BU-Art-Galleries-Landscapes-Near-Me-Richard-Raiselis-On-That-December-Day-300x300.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1019px) 100vw, 1019px\" \/><figcaption><em>On That December Day <\/em>(2020), oil on linen, 60 \u00d7 60 in | Courtesy of Richard Raiselis<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Although he\u2019s taught courses at every level, including drawing, painting, and a graduate seminar on the history of color, \u201cI taught foundation painting probably more than any of those,\u201d he says. In that course, he distilled the process to five elements: composition, drawing, color, technique, and subject. \u201cI had a teacher who said there was no advanced painting because it all boils down to how those five areas are overlaid.\u201d Teaching that lesson provided a valuable reminder to focus on the basics in his own work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">As he packs up the studio where he\u2019s found inspiration for 36 years, he considers another tenet that\u2019s helped him time and again: \u201cI\u2019ve always felt that I could find something wonderful to look at wherever I might be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\"><\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-card has-three magazine-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2024\/02\/robert-freeman-painter_feat.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Robert T. Freeman (CFA\u201971,\u201981), in his Waltham, Mass., studio.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/02\/robert-freeman-painter_feat.jpeg 2000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/02\/robert-freeman-painter_feat-636x425.jpeg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/02\/robert-freeman-painter_feat-1024x684.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/02\/robert-freeman-painter_feat-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/02\/robert-freeman-painter_feat-1536x1025.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/02\/robert-freeman-painter_feat-1498x1000.jpeg 1498w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/02\/robert-freeman-painter_feat-900x600.jpeg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/02\/robert-freeman-painter_feat-450x300.jpeg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/02\/robert-freeman-painter_feat-600x400.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Community Engagement<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/news\/articles\/2024\/robert-t-freemans-long-journey-home\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Robert T. Freeman\u2019s Long Journey Home<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">February 8, 2024<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-article-share wp-prepress-component-article-share-sharedby-news\"><span class=\"wp-prepress-component-article-share-label\">Shared from<\/span> <span class=\"wp-prepress-component-article-share-source\"><div class=\"editorial-branding editorial-branding-news bu-prepress-branding-type-text\"><div class=\"editorial-branding-wrap\">News<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1500\" height=\"2000\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/02\/vert-john-wilson-color-2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo of the late artist and Boston University professor John Wilson and a student engaged in a discussion. 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They are in a bright studio space with large windows in the background, casting soft light over the scene, emphasizing the collaborative and educational atmosphere.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/02\/vert-john-wilson-color-2.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/02\/vert-john-wilson-color-2-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/02\/vert-john-wilson-color-2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/02\/vert-john-wilson-color-2-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/02\/vert-john-wilson-color-2-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/02\/vert-john-wilson-color-2-1000x1334.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/02\/vert-john-wilson-color-2-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/02\/vert-john-wilson-color-2-600x800.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>CFA Faculty<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/news\/articles\/2025\/john-wilsons-art-of-black-humanity\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">John Wilson\u2019s Art of Black Humanity<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">February 26, 2025<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-article-share wp-prepress-component-article-share-sharedby-news\"><span class=\"wp-prepress-component-article-share-label\">Shared from<\/span> <span class=\"wp-prepress-component-article-share-source\"><div class=\"editorial-branding editorial-branding-news bu-prepress-branding-type-text\"><div class=\"editorial-branding-wrap\">News<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/11\/VITAL-Program-BU-Medical-Center-Residents-Stone-Gallery.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/11\/VITAL-Program-BU-Medical-Center-Residents-Stone-Gallery.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/11\/VITAL-Program-BU-Medical-Center-Residents-Stone-Gallery-636x425.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/11\/VITAL-Program-BU-Medical-Center-Residents-Stone-Gallery-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/11\/VITAL-Program-BU-Medical-Center-Residents-Stone-Gallery-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/11\/VITAL-Program-BU-Medical-Center-Residents-Stone-Gallery-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/11\/VITAL-Program-BU-Medical-Center-Residents-Stone-Gallery-1498x1000.jpg 1498w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/11\/VITAL-Program-BU-Medical-Center-Residents-Stone-Gallery-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/11\/VITAL-Program-BU-Medical-Center-Residents-Stone-Gallery-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/11\/VITAL-Program-BU-Medical-Center-Residents-Stone-Gallery-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>BU Art Galleries<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/news\/articles\/2025\/two-new-visual-arts-programs-help-boston-medical-center-residents-and-fellows-hone-their-skills-as-clinicians\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Two New Visual Arts Programs Help Boston Medical Center Residents and Fellows Hone Their Skills as Clinicians<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">November 4, 2025<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-article-share wp-prepress-component-article-share-sharedby-news\"><span class=\"wp-prepress-component-article-share-label\">Shared from<\/span> <span class=\"wp-prepress-component-article-share-source\"><div class=\"editorial-branding editorial-branding-news bu-prepress-branding-type-text\"><div class=\"editorial-branding-wrap\">News<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raiselis has occupied this studio since 1990 and has painted elements of that scene dozens, maybe hundreds, of times. He has also painted from offices and classrooms in 855 Comm Ave, dorm rooms in Warren Towers and Claflin Hall, and the roof of the School of Law. He spent a sabbatical year painting from a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6143,"featured_media":127245,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[191],"magazine-article-category":[373,379],"magazine-topic":[],"news-article-category":[],"news-topic":[],"bu_edition":[448],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/127253"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127253"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/127253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":127717,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/127253\/revisions\/127717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127253"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=127253"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=127253"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=127253"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=127253"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=127253"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=127253"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=127253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}