Think, Act & Be

LAS VEGAS, NV – On Friday, May 6^th, 2011 at the Arts Factory (107 E. Charleston Blvd., Suite 115) Joseph Watson Gallery presents “Think, Act & Be”. Think, Act & Be is an exhibition of new works by Arts District Icon Dray.  This exhibition will showcase a comprehensive collection of paintings showing the continuing evolvement of the artist’s style.

Dray is best known for his colorful portraits of beautiful women, musical themed abstract canvases and large scale murals.   Two of Dray’s murals are now in the permanent collection of the Hispanic Museum of Nevada and the Erotic Heritage Museum in Nevada.  He is currently working on a historic mural commissioned by the City of San Francisco that dates from 1906 to the present. In the past he has been commissioned by the Clark County Cultural Affairs Department and the City of Las Vegas Leisure Services on several significant public art projects throughout the city of Las Vegas.  Through 2004-2006 he served on the First Friday Advisory Committee, a 15 member board that plans and implements First Friday, downtown Las Vegas’ monthly event that draws as many as 10,000 visitors at a time to the Arts District.

Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, CA, Dray attended Barnsdall Park Art School in Los Feliz, CA at age seven.  But he is primarily a self-taught artist.  Dray moved to Las Vegas in December of 1999 and has lived and worked in Las Vegas as a professional artist until his 2009 relocation to San Francisco.  While living in Las Vegas he established himself as a major player in manifesting “The Birth of an Art Scene” in Las Vegas.

In 2002 Dray co-founded the legendary art collective 5ive Finger Miscount (5FM) in Las Vegas with fellow artists Iceberg Slick and Vezun.  This underground art collective curated exhibitions for several budding artists at the time including Joseph Watson, Casey Weldon, Amy Sol, Danny Roberts, Ras One and dozens of others through-out the city.

Opening reception is Friday, May 6^th 2011 from 6pm until 9pm.  Admission is free.