Ray Roberts

El Matador; Malibu, CA

2024

Born in 1957, Ray Roberts is a California native who spent his formative years amidst the picturesque landscapes of Orange County. Raised among the verdant orange groves before the region saw the rise of freeways and urban sprawl, Roberts developed a deep-seated appreciation for the unspoiled beauty of California's pristine landscapes, a sentiment that would later echo through his art.

Following the untimely passing of his father in 1969 and his mother's ailing health, Roberts was sent to the Orme School, a serene ranch-style private boarding school nestled amidst the rugged terrain of the Arizona desert. It was here, set along the tranquil Ash Creek and surrounded by the sprawling Orme Cattle Ranch that he first began to explore his artistic inclinations. The school’s robust fine arts program helped nurture Roberts’ artistic talents and lay the foundation for his future career.

Roberts pursued a formal art education at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he studied under the acclaimed artist John Asaro, and graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1978. To further refine his skills, Roberts studied under esteemed artists Dan McCaw, Len Chmiel, Ned Jacob, and Mark Daily.

While a student at ArtCenter, Roberts met his future wife, Impressionist painter Peggy Kroll. During their courting days, the art-minded couple would go out nightclubbing for the purpose of sketching rather than dancing! They were married in 1984, and have continued a successful partnership ever since.

Like many fine artists before him, Roberts began his career as an illustrator, establishing his first studio in Los Angeles and then in Scottsdale, Arizona. He transitioned his career to fine art in the early 1990s. Today, Ray Roberts is nationally recognized as a multi-award-winning artist for his atmospheric plein air paintings of California’s dynamic coast and majestic scenic landscapes. Additionally, his scenes of the Southwest and figurative work are also sought-after paintings.

Through his evocative canvases, Ray Roberts pursues a sense of time and place, and invites viewers to embark on a visual journey to find the rhythm, beauty and intricacies in nature. He seeks an interplay of light and shadow, color and form, and searches for discovery and familiarity. Ray Roberts’ use of vibrant color, sweeping brushstrokes, bold textures, and his sensitivity to shifting patterns of light and atmosphere, project life and movement to his paintings.