The Pennsylvania countryside, its inhabitants and their way of life provide the subject matter for this watercolor artist. Ray is highly regarded for his detailed rural landscapes and antique still lifes.
However, he explains, the real subject of my work is not the aging farm buildings, the rustic old mills or the antiqued crocks and jugs. The real subject is their surfaces. “I am intrigued by the texture of a crumbling stone wall, the splintered wood of an old wagon or the way the light reflects off a piece of hand-turned stoneware…the signs of wear and hard use. How many stories they must have to tell”.
Over the years, Ray has developed a number of texturing methods to accurately depict these signs of aging. He compiled many of them in a book titled, “Texture Techniques for Winning Watercolors”, published by Northlight and released in November of 1999 (now out of print).
Ray’s work has been published, as prints, by Primrose Press, Galaxy of Graphics, and most recently, by Bruce McGaw Graphics. His work has appeared in many books and magazines such as Splash 3, Splash 4, Splash 9, Palette Talk, Bucks Country Magazine, County Line Magazine, American Artist, Artist’s Magazine and Chinese Watercolor, an art magazine published in Beijing, China.
Ray is represented by several galleries in southeastern Pennsylvania. He is an elected signature member of the American Watercolor Society, The National Watercolor Society, The Pennsylvania Watercolor Society (also awarded Sylvan Grouse Guild member status of the society), The Philadelphia Watercolor Society (recipient of the Crest Award for continued excellence), and the International Society of Acrylic Painters. He has been the recipient of many awards for his work in national and international exhibitions and has had numerous one-man shows. He is listed in “Who’s Who in American Art”. Ray resides and maintains a studio in Pennsburg, PA.
I am intrigued by the texture of a crumbling stone wall, the splintered wood of an old wagon or the way the light reflects off a piece of hand-turned stoneware…the signs of wear and hard use. How many stories they must have to tell.
