His studies were interrupted by World War II, during which he enlisted in the Navy, serving in South Pacific and Japan.
Whether it be the masterfully controlled intricacy of drawing or the compelling power of sculpture in which one discovers surprises from the natural world in combination with elements as unexpected as shattered glass, there is a delight and timelessness in the Southwestern Odyssey of Robert Ray.
[6] Writing in Prize Winning Oil Paintings and Why they Won the Prize, author Margaret Harold quotes David Gebhard, director of the Roswell Museum and Art Center: Ray represents an interesting case in current American painting, in that he generally retains reference to subject matter, although he is by no means a representational painter... [H]is major asset is in his tactile quality, and the subtle aspect of his color.
[8] This showing was followed by awards in Brooklyn, New York; Dallas, Texas; Columbia, South Carolina; and the Museum of New Mexico.
[22]Following retrospective shows in 1999[23] and 2000,[24] Ray resumed a prolific pace of painting, creating numerous series of representational and abstract watercolors prior to his death in 2002.
[25] Eight of the Taos Moderns created works selected by the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) for use in a traveling exhibition that accompanied a graduate recruiting campaign in the early 1960s.
[28] The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation collection of artwork in her home consisted of works by Andrew Dasburg, Emil Bisttram, Robert D. Ray, Tom Benrimo, Clay Spohn, Earl Stroh, Ernest Blumenshein, O.E.
Berninghaus and Leon Gaspard[29] Other collections include: From 1954 to 1958, Ray was affiliated with La Galeria Escondida (Taos, NM).