# Rex Ray > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Rex_Ray > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Rex_Ray.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Ray > Source revision: 1353427709 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American artist (1956–2015)}} {{Use American English|date=April 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Rex Ray | alt = Rex Ray | birth_name = Michael Patterson | birth_date = September 11, 1956 | birth_place = near [Landstuhl](/source/Landstuhl), [West Germany](/source/West_Germany) | death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|02|09|1956|09|11}} | death_place = [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco), California, U.S. | movement = | known_for = [graphic design](/source/graphic_design), [collage](/source/collage), [fine art](/source/fine_art) | website = http://www.rexraystudio.com/ | alma_mater = [San Francisco Art Institute](/source/San_Francisco_Art_Institute) }} '''Rex Ray''' (born '''Michael Patterson'''; September 11, 1956 – February 9, 2015) was an American [collage](/source/collage) artist and [graphic design](/source/graphic_design)er, based in [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco).{{Cite web |title=A Picture is a Word: The Posters of Rex Ray |url=https://www.glbthistory.org/rex-ray |access-date=2026-04-18 |website=GLBT Historical Society |language=en-US}} == Early life and education == thumb|Rex Ray at Gallery 16. Photo Credit: Griff Williams, 2009 Born as Michael Patterson on September 11, 1956, on a [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army) base near [Landstuhl](/source/Landstuhl), Germany, and he was raised in [Colorado Springs](/source/Colorado_Springs%2C_Colorado), Colorado. He started making art in childhood, and by the 1970s he was part of the [mail art movement](/source/Mail_art) which was when he adopted the pseudonym "Rey Ray" based on a 1950s toy [raygun](/source/raygun) brand of the same name. He said he changed his name to Rex Ray in order to start anew and be free of his past.{{Cite web |last=Curiel |first=Jonathan |date=2017-06-01 |title=Light of Ray |url=https://www.sfweekly.com/culture/art/light-of-ray/ |access-date=2020-01-30 |website=[SF Weekly](/source/SF_Weekly) |language=en-US}} He moved to San Francisco in 1981 to attend [San Francisco Art Institute](/source/San_Francisco_Art_Institute) (SFAI) where he studied with Sam Tchakalian, [Kathy Acker](/source/Kathy_Acker), and [Angela Davis](/source/Angela_Davis) before earning his BFA in 1989. He was one of the first artists to use [Mac](/source/Mac_(computer))-based technologies, largely because of his work with [The Residents](/source/The_Residents), in the creative process to generate graphics and fine art.{{Cite web |last=Professor |first=The |date=2015-02-23 |title=The Professor Offers Excerpts From an Artistic Life, or Rex Ray X-Rayed |url=https://professorstevenskovholt.com/2015/02/23/the-professor-offers-excerpts-from-an-artistic-life-or-rex-ray-x-rayed/ |access-date=2026-04-18 |website=The Professor / Steven Skov Holt |language=en}} Ray combined his digital graphics with [Xerography](/source/Xerography), handmade [woodblock prints](/source/Woodblock_printing), newsprint, and magazine images to creative his signature style, which references decorative arts and 20th century movements such as [dada](/source/dada), [Fluxus](/source/Fluxus), [pop art](/source/pop_art), and especially [midcentury modernism](/source/Mid-century_modern). == Career == Ray's early designs include the first T-shirt and posters for the [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco) chapter of the [AIDS](/source/HIV%2FAIDS) activist group [ACT UP](/source/ACT_UP); guerrilla marketing fliers and posters for queer night clubs and [rock and roll](/source/rock_and_roll) shows; and book covers for independent presses such as [City Lights Books](/source/City_Lights_Bookstore) and High Risk/[Serpent's Tail](/source/Serpent's_Tail). He designed and performed with [The Residents](/source/The_Residents), as well as designed for [David Bowie](/source/David_Bowie), among others.{{Cite web|url=https://thebolditalic.com/rip-san-francisco-artist-and-cultural-icon-rex-ray-the-bold-italic-san-francisco-bce82bee8e8|title=RIP San Francisco Artist and Cultural Icon Rex Ray|date=2016-04-13|website=Medium|publisher=The Bold Italic|language=en|access-date=2020-01-30}} By the early 1990s he started a professional fine art practice. Ray had been one of the first artists to use [Mac](/source/Classic_Mac_OS) computer-based technology to create his art.{{Cite web |last1=Erwert |first1=Anna Marie |date=2019-08-14 |title=Tour $1.6M live/work studio of celebrated San Francisco artist |url=https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/Tour-1-6M-live-work-studio-of-celebrated-SF-14294179.php |access-date=2020-01-30 |website=[SFGate](/source/SFGate) |quote=Rex Ray, who died in 2015, was one of the first artists to use Mac-based technology in his art.}} He had two units in the Allied Box Factory building in the [Mission District](/source/Mission_District%2C_San_Francisco) in San Francisco, one was his living space and the other was his art studio.{{Cite web|url=https://sf.curbed.com/2019/8/7/20759096/ray-rex-allied-box-factory-loft-san-francisco|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807232909/https://sf.curbed.com/2019/8/7/20759096/ray-rex-allied-box-factory-loft-san-francisco|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 7, 2019|title=Late artist Rex Ray's Allied Box Factory loft lists for $1.599M|last=Keeling|first=Brock|date=2019-08-07|website=[Curbed SF](/source/Curbed_San_Francisco)|language=en|access-date=2020-01-30}} Ray referred to his artwork as "paintings" even though they were often collage-based and lacked any traditional painting techniques.{{Cite web |date=2010 |others=Joshua Hassel |title=CPT12 Presents: How to Make a Rex Ray, aired 2018 |url=https://www.pbs.org/video/rex-ray-how-to-make-a-rex-ray-g0ko4d/ |access-date=2020-01-29 |website=PBS |publisher=Colorado Public Television |at=approx. 2:00 and 31:00 |type=Video}} His source material was made with woodblock printing on colored paper. The sheets of printed paper were adhered to a canvas with a wet glue. As the glue got tacky, Ray would cut patterns into the papers, removing the extraneous paper, leaving the hand cut shapes to dry. Hi s large-scale canvases would require weeks of intensive labor and were composed of dozens of layers of cut, painted paper.{{Cite web |last=Desmarais |first=By Charles |date=2017-06-16 |title=Exuberant Rex Ray works not to be taken lightly |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Exuberant-Rex-Ray-works-not-to-be-taken-lightly-11225626.php |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=SFGATE |language=en}} In 2008, Ray illustrated ''[10,000 Dresses](/source/10%2C000_Dresses)'', written by [Marcus Ewert](/source/Marcus_Ewert). The illustrations for the book were created using his cut-paper collage methods. The book was a 2010 Stonewall Honor Book in Children and Young Adult Literature,{{Cite web |date=9 September 2009 |title=Stonewall Book Awards List |url=http://www.ala.org/rt/glbtrt/award/stonewall/honored#2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209191623/http://www.ala.org/rt/glbtrt/award/stonewall/honored#2009 |archive-date=February 9, 2018 |access-date=January 3, 2026 |website=GLBTRT: American Library Association}} a 2009 [American Library Association](/source/American_Library_Association) Rainbow Book{{Cite web |title=2009 Rainbow Book List |url=http://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/archives/174}} and was a finalist for the 2008 [Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Literature](/source/Lambda_Literary_Award_for_Transgender_Literature).{{cite web |date=18 February 2010 |title=21st Annual Lambda Literary Awards |url=http://www.lambdaliterary.org/winners-finalists/02/18/lambda-literary-awards-2008-2/ |access-date=October 9, 2011}} Despite these being honored with these awards, 10,000 Dresses experienced mixed opinions on whether or not it was appropriate to teach to its intended audience of young children. {{Cite web |last=kanopi_admin |date=2022-12-07 |title=These 176 Books Were Banned in Duval County, Florida |url=https://pen.org/banned-books-florida/ |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=PEN America |language=en-US}} Ray died February 9, 2015, in San Francisco after a five year battle with [lymphoma](/source/lymphoma). He was remembered by [The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) "as a major cultural force in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California, widely recognized for his collage work." Ray was also remembered by [SFGate](/source/SFGate) as a, "versatile graphic designer who created book covers, tour posters and album art in San Francisco for 35 years." ==Legacy== In 2019 [GLBT Historical Society](/source/GLBT_Historical_Society) presented ''A Picture is a Word: The Posters of Rex Ray''. The exhibition, curated by Cydney Payton and Amy Scholder, surveyed the graphic works. Including his work with David Bowie, Radiohead, REM. The collection of the [San Francisco Museum of Modern Art](/source/San_Francisco_Museum_of_Modern_Art) includes 37 posters by Rex Ray for musical artists including [David Bowie](/source/David_Bowie), [The B-52s](/source/The_B-52s), and [The Rolling Stones](/source/The_Rolling_Stones).{{Cite web |title=Rex Ray |url=https://www.sfmoma.org/artist/Rex_Ray/?sa=1 |access-date=2025-09-18 |website=SFMOMA |language=en-US}} In 2024, SFMoMA featured many of Ray's poster designs in ''Art of Noise'', an exhibition celebrating groundbreaking design shaping our music experience.{{Cite web |title=Art of Noise: Design Amplified |url=https://www.sfmoma.org/read/art-of-noise-design-amplified/ |access-date=2026-05-08 |website=SFMOMA |language=en-US}} His work is also in the collections of the [San Jose Museum of Art](/source/San_Jose_Museum_of_Art) and the [Yerba Buena Center for the Arts](/source/Yerba_Buena_Center_for_the_Arts) in San Francisco. A drawing of Rex Ray by [Veronica De Jesus](/source/Veronica_De_Jesus) is in the collection of the [Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive](/source/Berkeley_Art_Museum_and_Pacific_Film_Archive).{{cite web|url=https://collection.bampfa.berkeley.edu/catalog/7dfae105-6c6a-4493-8947|title=Rex Ray|access-date=2025-09-18|website=bampfa.berkeley.edu/}} Archival collections of Ray’s work are preserved by the [Bancroft Library](/source/Bancroft_Library) at the University of California, Berkeley; the [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame](/source/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame) in Cleveland; and the [GLBT Historical Society](/source/GLBT_Historical_Society) in San Francisco. In September 2027, a retrospective of title ''Rex Ray: We Are All Made of Light'' will held at the [Monterey Museum of Art](/source/Monterey_Museum_of_Art) in [Monterey, California](/source/Monterey%2C_California). The exhibition was curated by Griff Williams and Cydney Payton. ==Publications== *{{Cite book |title=[10,000 Dresses](/source/10%2C000_Dresses) |last=Ewert |first=Marcus |publisher=[Seven Stories Press](/source/Seven_Stories_Press) |others=Illustrated by Rex Ray |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-58322-850-0 |location=New York City}} *{{Cite book |title=Rex Ray: Art + Design |last=Ray |first=Rex |publisher=Chronicle Books |others=Foreword by [Douglas Coupland](/source/Douglas_Coupland) |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8118-5975-2 |location=San Francisco}} *{{Cite book|title=Information|last=Ray|first=Rex|publisher=Rex Ray Inc.|others=Essay by Cydney Payton|year=2011|location=San Francisco}} *{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Griff |author-link=Griff Williams (painter) |title=Rex Ray We Are All Made of Light |last2=Killian |first2=Kevin |author-link2=Kevin Killian |last3=Barilleaux |first3=Rene P. |last4=Cole |first4=Norma |date=2017 |publisher=Chronicle Books |others=Gallery 16 |isbn=0982767161}} *[Williams, Griff](/source/Griff_Williams_(painter)) (2020) ''The Art of Rex Ray.'' (essays by [Rebecca Solnit](/source/Rebecca_Solnit) and Christian Frock). San Francisco: [Chronicle Books](/source/Chronicle_Books). {{ISBN|978-1452177045}} ==References== {{Reflist|refs= Whiting, Sam (February 10, 2015). [http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Collage-artist-Rex-Ray-dies-6071830.php Collage artist and designer Rex Ray dies]. [SFGate](/source/SFGate). Accessed January 2020. {{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2015/feb/23/rex-ray-obituary|title=Rex Ray obituary|last=Tray|first=Liz|date=2015-02-23|work=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) |access-date=2020-01-30|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} }} == External links == * Video: [https://www.sfmoma.org/watch/75-reasons-to-live-rex-ray-on-andy-warhols-self-portrait/ 75 Reasons to Live: Rex Ray on Andy Warhol’s ''Self-Portrait''] (2010) from [San Francisco Museum of Modern Art](/source/San_Francisco_Museum_of_Modern_Art) (SFMoMA) * Video: [https://video.kpbs.org/video/rex-ray-how-to-make-a-rex-ray-g0ko4d/ How to Make a Rex Ray] (2010, aired 2018) from [Public Broadcasting Service](/source/PBS) (PBS) {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Rex}} Category:1956 births Category:2015 deaths Category:20th-century American male artists Category:20th-century American painters Category:21st-century American male artists Category:21st-century American painters Category:American male painters Category:American poster artists Category:Artists from San Francisco Category:Deaths from cancer in California Category:Mission District, San Francisco Category:San Francisco Art Institute alumni Category:American graphic artists Category:American graphic designers Category:Deaths from lymphoma in California Category:Artists from Colorado Springs, Colorado --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rex Ray](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Ray) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Ray?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.