Artists: Eric Ray x Carole Ogden

Project Statement: This painting brought two completely different artists onto the canvas each doing what they love to do. The self taught painter who uses her canvas to tell stories that celebrates life forcing the viewer to look closer around them and the classically trained studio artist and illustrator with decades of experience using his mastery in Pen and Ink always doing what he loved to do.

This piece has turned out to be extra special as it is one of the last pieces the late Eric Ray completed and one his collaborating artist will never forget. Here’s what Eric Ray said about his art:
"Creating my work is both a struggle and a labor of love. I choose to work in Pen and Ink because it is not a simple media to master and is also relatively uncommon. I strive to develop art with a feel for the subject matter and the story I wish to tell. The search for the beauty in the complexity of form, pattern and texture is important. I enjoy creating visual shortcuts, innuendo and suggestion balanced against insanely detailed rendering in my pen work. I intentionally mix drawing styles and textures to best honor my subjects. I accept the challenge of exploring the limits of using a black pen on a white surface, and relentlessly pushing those limits around."

Part of the proceeds from the sale of this painting was donated in memory of Eric Ray to the Springfield Regional Arts Council whom he was a member of.