Ray Strong – A Legacy of Art and Preservation

Painter, muralist, organizer and educator, Ray Stanford Strong played a significant role in the late 20th-century resurgence of landscape painting in the Plein air tradition. During the last two decades of his life, Ray was key to the formation of the Oak Group, a collective of Santa Barbara, California artists with a shared concern for our disappearing natural landscapes.

The 22-minute film explores the legacy of artist Ray Strong as told by his fellow “artists for preservation”, the Oak Group. Produced for the Wildling Museum of Art & Nature in conjunction with their exhibition “Ray Strong: A Collector’s Passion” On view February 2 – July 8, 2019. – WildlingMuseum.org

Well after his 2006 passing, Ray Strong’s legacy lives on in his art, in the open spaces the Oak Group has helped to preserve, and in the hearts of the artists who knew him.

Image above from the film is plein-air painter Arturo Tello who co-founded the Oak Group with Ray Strong in 1986.