"Bill C. Ray was born in 1951 in Juneau, the capital of Alaska. Situated along the Inside Passage, it is reachable only by air or water. Its residents find themselves dependent on, if not at the mercy of, the surrounding extremes of nature which mark their daily lives. In Juneau, Ray worked as a painter, graphic artist, theatre designer and writer, involving himself intensively in the city's cultural life. He was strongly influenced by the varied artistic expressions found among the many native cultures in Alaska - but not exclusively. During his youth, Ray travelled to many other parts of America, and while serving in the U.S. Navy was introduced to the cultures of the Far East and Europe. In 1984 he spent time in New York, absorbing early and contemporary cultural history through extensive museum visits, and a program of painting and private study. The next stage on his journey of personal discovery was once more in Europe. In 1989 Ray landed in Berlin and immediately immersed himself in European art and history, while still managing to keep his attentions turned toward Alaska.

Now Bill C. Ray's art flows from his imagination, mixed with memories of Alaska and life in Berlin. Clearly, the source of distant light one finds in his work emanates not just from the far north, but also, and perhaps more so, from the whole of his personal experience."

Exerpt from a text by Dr. Christiane Hartnack