Bio
William Wray has lived in California most of his life and studied painting at the Art Students League in New York.
Making his living as a cartoonist who specialized in painted subjects, he spent many years coalescing a eclectic array of art styles, ultimately finding his voice in a contemporized reflection of traditional California regional painting that focus on humble subject matter rarely considered as fine art.
Wray blends traditional skill sets of realism and the sheer energy of abstract expressionism in an ongoing evolution to find the balance between two seemingly unrelated styles. Wray has challenged himself to create a brand of realistic expressionism he hopes to use a bridge into the customarily circumspect contemporary art world.
Awards
Placed: 2008 Ray Mar contest
Grand prize winner: Create Better Paintings
Finalist: Art Kudos International Art competition
Honorable Mention: LAPAPA Best of Plein Air 2008
Artist Choice Award: San Luis Obispo Plein Air Festival 2006
First place: Art Interview Magazine: Second Quarter 2005
Second place: 1st Annual 2005 Riverside Plein Air Paint-out
Memberships
Oil Painters of America
LAPAPA
California Art Club

William Wray painting in California Art Club’s “106th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition at LA Autry Museum of the American West”
July 2009 Issue of Southwest Art
July 2008 American Art Collector
The Artist Magazine March 2008