My father was an exceptional artist.  When I was ten, I'd page through his sketchbooks and enjoy wonderful drawings of old men, exotic women and exquisite still lifes.  Art history books were always available to look at and the paintings of the Renaissance era were my favorites.  I wasn't introduced to Modern Art until I attended art classes in Frankfurt, Germany.  Picasso, Baskin, and Kollwitz opened my eyes to human plight; while Matisse, Klee and Delauney danced in my head.  I couldn't get enough of the graphic works of the German Expressionists, Dada, or the Surrealists.  After reading that Klee hadn't seriously painted until he was 40, I decided to follow his path - focusing on drawing, printmaking and collage for twenty years. During my stay in Sicily, I was drawn to the works of a group of Italian artists known as the Transavantguardia - Clemente, Paladino, Cucchi and Longobardi had significant influence on my artistic direction.  Their paintings provided new insight on the human experience and the importance of art history.

                                                                        - Robert-Jean Ray