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Ray was born and raised in
northern California. As a young boy, he didn't want any toys, just a ball of
clay, paperclip and rubber bands to make his own toys. Drawing was something
that was a high priority for Ray. He then started to paint when a back injury
stopped his avid participation in sports. He painted constantly to relieve the
pain and one of his high school teachers, after seeing his artwork, encouraged
Ray to continue. He then started receiving scholarships to take classes with
professional artists. Ray graduated with distinction from the California
College of Arts. One of the early highlights of Ray's career was participation
in the 1967 National Museum Tour sponsored by Hallmark where he won several
awards including he first place award in painting. In the late sixties, Ray
studied and painted in Europe. He took college classes in Ireland, the home of
his ancestors, but was not enamored with the strict directives so he returned
to the U.S. where he could have more artistic freedom with his paintings. His
unique vision through enlarged images and illusion grasps the essence of the
subject matter he paints. He challenges the viewer to see the reality in each
painting with renewed emotion. Ray has had many highlights in his career with
exhibits at numerous museums several of which include the Oakland Museum of
Art, Modern Art Museum in San Francisco and Crocker Kingsley Museum of Art. He
has also been commissioned to paint several famous individuals, including Oprah
Winfrey and Elizabeth Taylor among others.
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