Born a Cumbrian, at Aspatria, Ray was raised in a rural environment and has spent most of his life here..  During his initial years he had views each day of Skiddaw, Criffel and the Solway Plain.  He was convinced from this early period, that there were no real benefits to moving away, particularly when all the beauty one might desire was already present.

Ray was educated at the local village school and then attended the Nelson School, Wigton.  It was there that art became important to him and he received the benefits of tuition by an exceptional teacher who gave him great encouragement and guided him towards an art-biased career.  Ray then studied and pursued his eventual profession, which also at that time required a considerable appreciation of art.
By inclination and training ray is an architect, in practice for more than 40 years and prior to retirement spent eleven of them as Surveyor of the Fabric to Carlisle Cathedral.  During that period he worked upon some of the finest old buildings in the North of England, which confirmed his passion for ancient structures and the glorious art forms they encompass.

Ray confesses to having had no formal art training, but over the years has maintained an active interest in drawing and painting, culminating in their most practical form, the creation of buildings.  By his birth and desire Ray is, basically, a countryman and has a deep love of the fells, lakes, sea and natural history indigenous to this area.  He now considers art, in its finest form, to be his major interest, and actively pursues depictions in almost all media.

Ray’s training for, and many years experience in, architecture have given him an ability to appreciate scale and proportion, particularly of buildings, people and other elements, and their place in association with the overall environment.