The sense of calm emanating from Bill C. Ray's paintings can be deceiving. His images of nature are loaded with tension, unpredictability and potential danger. His perception is a departure from the notion of harmony between ourselves and nature, and even further, from the assumption that nature is something which we can control.

This view of the relationship between people and nature has its roots in Ray's biography. He 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, theater 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 the early 80's he also spent time in New York, absorbing the rich offering of cultural life and history, while conducting a vigorous program of painting and private study.

The next stage on his journey of personal discovery was set once more in Europe. In 1989 Ray landed in Berlin and immediately immersed hemself 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.

-- Dr. Christiane Hartnack

(Bill C. Ray lives in Berlin with his wife Dr. Jutta Eming, and son Julian.)

SOLO EXHIBITS

2001 ..........Galerie Calumet-Nuzinger, Heidelberg
2001 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berlin
2000 ..........Galerie United Arts, Berlin
1999 ..........Galerie Calumet-Nuzinger, Heidelberg
1999 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berlin
1998 ..........Galerie Calumet-Nuzinger, Heidelberg
1998 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berlin
1997 ..........SAP AG, Walldorf
1997 ..........Galerie Calumet-Nuzinger, Heidelberg
1997 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berlin
1997 ..........Amerika Haus Berlin
1996 ..........Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Bonn
1996 ..........Galerie Calumet-Nuzinger, Heidelberg
1996 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berlin
1995 ..........Galerie Calumet-Nuzinger, Heidelberg
1995 ..........IRlSGERD, Katharinenstr 8, Berlin
1995 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berlin
1995 ..........Amerika Haus, Wien
1994 ..........DKH Bank, Berlin
1994 ..........Kulturhistorisches Museum, Magdeburg
1994 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berlin
1994 ..........Amerika Haus, Köln
1994 ..........Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Tübingen
1993 ..........Galerie im Schloss, Hoyerswerda
1993 ..........Kunstspeicher Friedersdorf
1993 ..........Galerie an der Havel, Brandenburg
1993 ..........Galerie am Ratswall, Bitterfeld
1993 ..........Galerie Friedenau, Berlin
1993 ..........Galerie 3. Etage, Halle
1992 ..........Stadtbibliothek, Greifswald
1992 ..........Kulturzentrum, Oranienburg
1992 ..........Studio 101, Berlin
1992 ..........Dielenhaus, Stralsund
1990 ..........PK., Berlin
1990 ..........Alaska State Museum, Juneau, Alaska

GROUP EXHIBITS

2002 ..........Galerie Carlos Hulsch, Berlin
2001 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berlin
2001 ..........Galerie Calumet-Nuzinger, Heidelberg
2000 ..........Galerie United Arts, Berlin
2000 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berin
2000 ..........Galerie Calumet-Nuzinger, Heidelberg
1999 ..........Galerie Calumet-Nuzinger, Heidelberg
1999 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berlin
1998 ..........Galerie Calumet-Nuzinger, Heidelberg
1998 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berlin
1997 ..........Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia, USA
1996 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berlin
1996 ..........Galerie Mainz, Berlin
1996 ..........Galerie Calumet-Nuzinger, Heidelberg
1994 ..........Galerie Warmuth, Berlin
1992 ..........Sommerpalst des Zaren, St. Petersburg
1991 ..........Kulturzentrum, Wladiwostok
1990 ..........All-Alaska Juried Exhibit, Anchorage, Alaska
1989 ..........Mesa Gallery, Mesa, Arizona
1989 ..........Carlos Hulsch Galerie, Berlin

PUBLIC ART

1994 ..........U.S. Forest Service Center, Ketchikan, Alaska
1994 ..........Pioneer's Home, Juneau, Alaska
1989 ..........Glacier Valley School, Juneau, Alaska
1988 ..........Harborview School, Juneau, Alaska
1988 ..........Floyd Dryden School, Juneau, Alaska
1986 ..........Juneau Municipal Art Bank, Juneau, Alaska
1986 ..........Mendenhall River School, Juneau, Alaska
1985 ..........International Airport, Juneau, Alaska
1984 ..........University of Alaska, S.E., Juneau, Alaska
1982 ..........Skill Center, Seward, Alaska
1980 ..........Nome Youth Center, Nome Alaska

COLLECTIONS

SAP, Walldorf
Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia
DKH Bank, Berlin
Kanzlei Gäbelein Veith Dr. Gaebelein, Berlin
Bundeskunstsammlung Rußland, Moskau
Alaska State Museum, Juneau, Alaska
Alaska State Art Bank, Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage Museum of H.& A., Anchorage, Alaska
University of Alaska Museum, Fairbanks, Alaska
Juneau Centennial Commission, Juneau, Alaska
ARCO, Juneau, Alaska
Lewis Petroleum Co., Denver Colorado

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"As always in Ray's work, it's the fantastic light, the overwhelming radiance that immediately grabs you." --Die Welt

"Anyone who sees this monumental painting...would know that Bill C.Ray could only have had one forefather, the late William Turner, father of all color-and-light shows in painting." --Bonner Rundschau

"Even more, Bill C. Ray's paintings testify to the the fact that man is bound to nature. In their aesthetic--a kind of psalm to the beauty of creation--these paintings could be considered similarly romantic to the landscapes of Caspar David Friedrich."--Rhein-Neckar Zeitung

"His interpretation of the landscape is completely and radically un-European. He seeks traces of cosmic law: the phenomena of light, color, and reflection." --Mannheimer Morgen

"He brings together water, clouds, land, and light in paintings full of luminous color and powerful brushstrokes."--General-Anzeiger

"In powerful colors the abstracted paintings tell of life in a landscape of northern forests and fjords. A wonderful radiance snatches the European viewer away to an endless icey stillness."--Das Bild

"Again and again it's the 'distant light' in these expressive and emotional paintings that attract the eye. Ray has found a singular style."--Die Welt

"When they're raising hell all across the countryside, it's probably not a bad idea to find a hushed moment and take a long, good look at the quiet perceptions of Bill C. Ray." --Schwaebisches Tageblatt

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