Dick Wray--

Dick Wray is one of the city's most established artists. Since 1959, Wray's art has been exhibited every year, an accomplishment few artists have bragging rights to.   Each painting is personal for Wray, an extension of himself.  Perhaps this is what makes his work so vivid and mature--no frills, no airs--just like Wray.

Born and raised in Houston, Wray studied architecture at the University of Houston.  After graduating in 1958, Wray traveled to Dusseldorf, Germany, and studied at the Kunstakademie.  Throughout the course of Wray's career, he has taught art at a variety of institutions, including Texas A&M, College Station, TX; Museum of Fine Arts Glassell School of Art, Houston, TX; Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Aspen, CO; and the University of Miami, Miami, FL.

Wray's art has gone through changes over the course of his career.  In his earliest works, the influence of the Abstract Expressionists is visible.  However, Wray's personality and interest in mixed media shines through.  These paintings have crisp color and are expressive in texture and tonal depth. 

During the 80s, Wray's use of line was exceptionally masterful.  Each line danced and played across the canvas in vibrant, primary colors.  He combined fat, thick lines with thin, electric lines.  While viewing the work, it is easy to imagine Wray's oil pastel moving across the canvas in quick, fluid motions. 

Since the 90s, Wray has experimented with collage.  Most recently, he has taken advantage of current technology to customize these collages on the computer before adding them to the canvas.  Using unconventional painting techniques, like scratches, drips, and splashes, he paints over and around the collaged image to make them his own.  Consequently, his paintings are layered and lively, almost frenetic.  Every inch of the canvas holds secrets for the viewer to discover.

No matter what medium or technique Wray experiments with, certain qualities remain strong in his art.  Whether the painting is an abstract landscape or a colorful collage, Wray incorporates the human form in almost all of his work.  He approaches the paint and canvas unintimidated.  Using quick brush strokes, moving paint or oil pastel with his fingers and hands, and varying amounts of pressure, Wray is the master of his work.  These qualities add up to the uniqueness of Wray's work.

A prolific artist, Wray has shown in over 145 exhibitions in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.  His work is displayed in over 15 public and private collections, such as the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Albright-Know Museum, Buffalo, NY; the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, TX; Museum of Modern Art, New York City, NY; Chase Manhattan Bank, New York, NY, and Wilson Industries, Houston, TX.