Technique     

Every sculpture begins as a drawing on paper. Here Ray first sketches thumbnail ideas, which gradually develop with each revision. He likes to make detailed renderings along the way. These help to clarify the three-dimensional form and depth the piece will eventually take.

In most cases, a final rendering of the main viewing aspect is enough from which to proceed with construction, but large complex pieces will need drawings of many angles. Preparation for portraiture, he's found, requires a thorough understanding of the subject's physiognamy, possible only with the aid of a scaled exercise done in modelling clay first. (Essential in Ray's philosophy is not to feel fear of the unknown; he just plays out his ideas and then sets about solving how to make them possible later. It's a challenge he thrives on!)

After scaled up drawings are made from the original sketches, Ray then builds a foundation to roughly determine depth and relative profile. This is normally a hollow construction of stiff, heavy boards, (300gsm upwards). Then, a careful selection is made of precisely the right types of papers to be used in creating the sculptured surface. Frequently, the stocks chosen still need heavy modification to "look right", which calls on some lessons from paper makers.

Of the alternatives of machine-made, mould-made or hand-made papers, the choice with each task will depend on their various properties. They can be quite different in their range of weights, textures, colours, mouldability and archival qualities. In an advertising piece for example, colour, detail and other specific effects will guide Ray's decisions, whereas textures, tones and conservation properties will be his highest priorities for a corporate or private commission.

It must be said here that Ray's sculptures are neither made from papier-mache nor wet pulp cast over a mould. All the forms created are hand moulded shapes originating as flat cut-outs from sheet formed paper. But, how do you know the exact shape a piece must be in the flat before it is formed three-dimensionally and fitted into position on the sculpture? There are various methods, but in short, many years of experience and experimenting! Once finished however, each piece is then bonded into place with a specially prepared, non-yellowing resin emulsion.

Just as water is essential in making paper in the first instance, it is also the main ingredient in making it pliable again for moulding. There are circumstances though where Ray must work the paper dry or even apply heat to achieve the required forms. It depends on the nature of the paper.

The inherent strength of the cellulose fabric of paper combined with the right engineering techniques in construction achieves a surprisingly high integral strength. This basis allows Ray to produce structures ranging from extremely solid to seemingly delicate and translucent in ways few imaginable materials can match.

As many of his works are coloured, it's vital to have a wide range of coloured stocks, but to get precise control of colours Ray will often apply acrylic paints by airbrush. This is especially the case with nature subjects where exact colour matches and fine graduations are essential to achieving accurate realism.

Working with natural, uncoloured papers ranging from creamy raw cotton, to bright white 100% rags and the fascinating oriental mulberries and hemps, for instance, is Ray's favourite way. The pristine, exquisite, natural beauty of these papers pervades uninhibited, and undisguised leaving only light and dark shades, textures, tones and the forms of Ray's sculptures to be timelessly revealed to onlookers.