Ray was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota in a liberal-leaning household. His parents introduced him to drawing at a young age when they sat him down in front of a drawing class on Public Television.While learning to draw, he also listened to his mother’s large, slate record collection of classical music. As time passed, Ray’s art interests evolved to include painting and ceramics and his musical tastes to include blues and world music.

Ray has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. He worked largely in painting and sculptural painting for fourteen yea and his work was displayed and sold in various galleries throughout the Twin Cities. He then entered the world of ceramics and his painterly style has enthusiastically leaped into his ceramic vessel creations. His latest work is with the common coffee mug where Ray takes a normally, mass-produced object and invests it with sculptural elements inspired by his background in painting and art history. Ray enjoys traveling, listening to a variety of music, swing dancing and fishing.