William Denton Ray

 

Where were you born? Year, Country, State. Where do you live currently

 

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1974 and currently still live there. 

 

 

What initially drew you to drawing pretty pictures

 

My Dad had a magazine called MOUSE! - It was a mail order catalog from the 60's or 70's that had airbrushed illustrations of Monsters in Hot Rods. 

These were done by the fantastic Mr. Stanley Mouse who was a rival to Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. This was my first inspiration into drawing, I would draw these in Middle School and give them to friends. Stanley also created numerous rock posters for the Grateful Dead etc.

 

 

Who is your favorite skateboarder, living or dead? Any ties to skateboarding

 

Rodney Mullen for his dedication and drive to reinventing freestyle and then most recently his innovative street skating.

Chris Cole is great and then Natas / Gonzalez of course. His characters were influential to me.

Who is your favorite artist, living or dead?

 

Jean Michel Basquiat - no question

 

 

When you're not creating amazing works of art, what do you enjoy doing

 

I enjoy time with my wife and kids, being a father is important, inspiring them to create and providing them a stable and enriching environment.

 

 

Who are your biggest influences

 

Basquiat / my kids / My parents / Wife and music of all kinds.

 

 

What mediums do you enjoy working in?

 

I am a mixed media artist so I tend to experiment and merge most mediums.

 

 

Anything else you want to tell?

 

My tagline is "Whimsical Funk Loves You" and it's true. 

to view more work for m Whimsical Funk view my Etsy Store here- 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/WhimsicalFunk