Ray was born in Exeter in 1948 and trained at Exeter College of Art. In 1969 he embarked on a career as a graphic designer and art director working extensively in London and the South West. Demand for his work and a desire to paint full time encouraged him to turn professional in 1990.

Throughout his career Ray has been inspired by the beauty of the West Country landscape and he has developed his own distinctive style of water-colour painting. Since 1979 he has worked from his East Devon studio producing more work for a number of exhibitions throughout the West Country. More recently his work has been included in major London exhibitions, including the Royal Institute of Painters in Water-Colours at the Mall Gallery.

The widespread popularity of Ray Balkwill`s work lies in his ability to capture the mood of his chosen subject. He has, to date, specialised in harbour and estuary scenes which is where his passion lies. The visual intensity of his images lies in his communication of the sights, sounds and moods of the ever changing sea. "Painting estuaries and harbours is a joy, the mere thought of which gets me reaching for a brush," says Ray. "Capturing mood and atmosphere is the main objective in my painting and there can be no better medium for this than water-colour." Alongside his painting Ray writes for "The Artist" magazine and is looking forward to the summer of 1997 which he will spend producing a solo gallery exhibition, to add to his list of achievements.