Ray Hunter

Ray Hunter was born in Montana and graduated from Eastern Montana College (currently called Montana State University-Billings) in 1971 with a degree in Art Education. He began studying watercolor painting with a local Montana artist, Len Sundell. Later, Hunter relocated to the Pacific Northwest, where he studied with Seattle-area artists Deanne Lemley and Jerry Stitt. Hunter has taken workshops with William Ryan, Charles Reid, Alvaro Castagnet, and Joe Bohler. While in the Northwest, Hunter's work was exhibited in multiple art festivals, including the Edmonds Art Festival and the Mercer Island Art Festival. His work was featured in the Foss Maritime calendar, and as the Edmonds Art Festival poster artist.

In 1997, Hunter and his family moved to Santa Barbara, California. He became a juried artist member of the California Art Club, and a Signature Member of the California Watercolor Association and American Society of Marine Artists. He has had works shown in multiple festivals and venues, including the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, S.C.A.P.E., Santa Barbara Art Walk, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, Casa Del Herrero, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, and Santa Barbara Club. His painting "Lesson on the Yellowstone" won first prize in the national Paint the Parks competition, which was shown at the Kolb Studio along the Grand Canyon. He is a member of the Oak Group, an organization that promotes the preservation of the land along the California coast. He has juried a number of art competitions and enjoys sharing the creative and professional experience with other artists.

Since 1997, Hunter's work has been shown multiple times in the California Art Club Gold Medal Exhibitions. He is represented by Waterhouse Gallery in Santa Barbara, and Horizon Art Gallery in Jackson, Wyoming.