Ray Strong: The Man and His Legacy

June 10, 2015 - December 7, 2015

Ray Strong was born in 1905 in Corvallis, Oregon. His long life spanned 101 years and so he saw tremendous technological and societal changes during his lifetime, but he never strayed far or long from his commitment to painting the landscape and in so doing recorded our natural heritage like almost no one else in our region.

He lived in the Mendocino area of California for many years and then moved to Santa Barbara in 1960, where he eventually became one of the founders of The Oak Group and took generations of students under his wing.

These Oak Group artists continue to paint to raise awareness of (and funds for) endangered local landscapes creating the ultimate lasting legacy for the Santa Barbara area.