Born in Feltham, Middlesex, Ray moved to Cornwall in 1974, becoming Principal of the St Ives School of Painting three years later. Working from the Porthmeor Studios, with his home nearby, Roy was a founder member of the Porthmeor Printmakers. A regular lecturer, and organiser of group shows at the Penwith Gallery, the Mariners and the Tate, Ray was a unique and constructive leader in many community art ventures together with his wife Beryl, and offered enthusiastic encouragement to many incomers through course work and exhibition experiences.  His first solo exhibition was at the Salt House Gallery, St Ives, in 1981. Close friends included Bob DEVEREUX, Roy WALKER, Bryan PEARCE and many others in the artistic community.

His residencies included Falmouth School (1983), Wigan, Lancashire (1986) and the Lander School, Truro (1987, 1992). He was a longtime member of the NSA and Penwith Society of Arts. His own paintings, many executed as a result of viewing the earth from the sky, are rich in tone and colour, and explode with a vibrancy of the sun and gradations of light. His work is in permanent and private collections nationally and locally.

Roy Ray died in May 2021.