Artist, Ray Maddox, is a native of Augusta, Georgia where he attended Augusta State University before graduating from Georgia Tech in Atlanta. His oils and pastels of Savannah, Charleston and the Carolina Low Country are heavily influenced by his early years. "As a boy, I remember the vacations I spent at the beach, either Tybee Island or one of the beaches in South Carolina", Ray says. "Those were very humble places at the time without condos or plush golf courses, and accommodations consisted of guest houses and a few beach motels. "

Ray began drawing and painting while in college, but is largely self-taught. After graduating from college, he spent the next 35 years in the business world. "My painting didn’t come last during those years, but it certainly didn’t come first, and painting is a jealous mistress—she wants most of your attention or you suffer." While there were some awards, such as the BASF Bicentennial Award for Oils, and private sales, the activity and the results were sporadic. This has recently changed. Ray moved to Beaufort, South Carolina in the heart of the Carolina Low Country to be nearer the subjects he paints. He is also on the staff of Beaufort Academy on Lady’s Island where he teaches Earth Science.

"There is no political or moral agenda in my paintings—I avoid that. Much like Claude Monet, I feel that ‘A painting is something beautiful to look at.’ That is enough to expect," Ray states. While he is an unabashed, representational artist, Ray strives to go beyond the visual. "It is not enough to simply capture a scene on canvas. That can be done with a camera and film. The artist should make the viewer a participant. The viewer should feel, ‘I’ve seen this place. I’ve been there. I know it.’ When that happens, my mission as an artist has been successful," Ray says. "And while I take from nature, I am not beyond embellishing or simplifying it —particularly when it comes to composition and color." 

Ray works from his studio on North Street in the Historic District of Beaufort. He is also a member of the art communities in Charlotte, Charleston, Hilton Head Island and now Augusta. His works are held by corporate and private collectors in New York, New Orleans, Atlanta, Augusta, Hilton Head Island, Charlotte and Charleston.