The name of Free Ray Gray came about because Ray was incarcerated for many years for a crime he didn’t commit. As a result, Ray came to believe that a combination of the Truth and his art would be the key to unlock his freedom.

For years, Ray and his wife struggled to have his art seen and they were successful in many ways. An alliance with Pace, a prisoner art group based in New York, resulted in his work being seen all over the East. In addition, through the miracle of the Internet, people all over the world began to see and appreciate Ray Gray’s unique perspective and colorful depiction of a world which he could only see through his wife’s eyes and his imagination. Her photographs became the basis for many of his paintings of the 80s and 90s.

Ray’s paintings of the 2000s through May of 2021 were signed “Free Ray Gray” and depict his vision of the world as it reacts to the horrors visited upon it. His paintings are frightening, enlightening, and often amusing!

Ray was released May 25th, 2021, due to an agreement (a deal with the Devil) in which he took a plea of “no lo contendre” or no contest to 2nd degree murder. We await his latest art reflecting his new perspective.