L. Ray Pigg

e-mail:  lrpigg@comcast.net

Born in the middle of the Ouachita Mountains in Western Arkansas, Ray found his way from the small town of Mena to Amelia Island via a variety of locations including Oklahoma, Texas, Rhode Island, California, Hawaii, Guantanamo Bay Cuba and Orange Park. His entire professional career was with the Department of Defense, as a Naval Officer and a civilian engineer. In 1995 he began the long awaited, glorious retirement and has since been able to concentrate on painting. He is self-taught, studying contemporary artists and attending workshops. He started painting in oil. During a tour in Guantanamo Bay he was introduced to watercolors by Margaret Huddy, Arlington, VA, and was immediately hooked by the spontaneity of the medium. He joined the Island Art Association in 1994. His work has been described as "having an appealing freshness and directness."