Cornwall, the extreme south-west corner of England, points like a finger at the Atlantic Ocean.   Surrounded by sea, almost an island, it is a remote region, an antique celtic land with its own centuries-old culture, where evidence of the people who lived here, before recorded history, is everywhere.   Their stone circles and crosses, the huts in which they lived and the graves in which they were buried still stand as monuments to their existence.   It is not extravagant to claim that their ghosts walk the the high moors of this ancient 'Granite Kingdom'.

Roy Ray is one of the many painters, potters and sculptors who have been unable to resist the magnetism of this timeless land.   It was his contact with the county when he came to live it in1974 which renewed and revitalised his love for landscape painting.   He has since become one of the few artists who consistently and successfully capture the magic of Cornwall.

Although he finds much of his inspiration in the pre-historic relics of an unknown Cornwall, he remains essentially an artist of today.   Like the celebrated Cornish miner of the past, he is not content with what he sees on the surface but digs deep beneath the skin of the land to reveal hitherto undiscovered wealth.

The rich earthy colours he uses, the frequent suggestion of an aerial or bird's eye view, the recurring shapes that might relate to human forms and his involvement with life drawing, all add up to create works possessing elements of the past and present, if not the future as well.

While his compositions probe pre-history, geology and geography, they also reflect his quest for understanding. But the most enduring and appealing quality in his work is his gentle approach to painting.    Whether exploring the mystery of Cornwall's standing stones or attemmpting to come to terms with its constantly changing climate, he does so with the quiet persistance of Cornish 'mizzle' - its mist and rain - eroding any possible resistance with a tranquil charm, and cleverly concealed strength, that conquers all.

Frank Ruhrmund