And it was his exceptional eye for detail and commitment to authenticity that has led him to design some of the most collectable ornaments in the world.
Now master sculptor, Ray is poised to sell what he regards as the biggest number of lots in one go of Border Fine Arts work.
His 150 lots to come come under the hammer at Hexham and Northern Marts next week, are miniature hand-painted sculptures of birds, wild mammals, farm animals and scenes from country life.
The company, which he helped to found, closed last year due to falling customer demand, and now Ray, who lives near Brampton, has decided to empty his loft and put his private collection up for sale.
Ray is holding onto 20 of his favourite pieces, including a study of a long-eared owl that he gave to his late father, and two boxing hares he’s rather fond of.
He said: “This is a cathartic cleansing I have sold maybe 70 pieces in the last ten years, but this auction has about 150 lots. It’s going to be the biggest number of lots in one go of Border Fine Arts Works.”
Auld Hemp, the ‘father of the modern Border Collie’, whose memorial is at West Woodburn in Northumberland, is also the subject of one of the figurines.
Amongst the sale lots at several pieces that were very locally inspired, and one is a Fordson N, the first tractor scene set by Willie Dunkeld at his coal yard in Castle Douglas.
Ray’s rise from humble beginnings to the most sought after name as the maker of perfect figures depicting country life was swift.
It was a journey, he said, that started in 1974. “I was fresh from Art College with an Honours Diploma in Fine Art Sculpting and not a lot else besides.”
“This was not to be an epic voyage for my new wife and me; no ‘Go West young man to seek fame and fortune’; just a van loaded with our few worldly possessions and a 300 mile journey north to our new home and work place, at Middleholms farm near Langholm.”
“What I couldn’t realize then was the adventure that was going to unfold. I worked hard and applied what I had been trained to do – observation, research and not being afraid to ask others for their opinion and advice,” added Ray.
“The buzz and adrenalin of making something ‘right’, far outweighed the sometimes long hours and discomfort of fine detailing.”
Ray began working with the founder of Border Fine Arts, John Hammond, in the early 70s after leaving Winchester Arts College.
“There was John and I and three others, and we worked in the outbuildings of Middleholms Farm,” Ray recalled.
Within a year, staff numbers rose to 22 as they moved away from making cold cast bronze sculptures to a different cold casting process that allowed the pieces to be painted.
This was after a customer commented to John, said Ray, ‘People likes ’em small and likes ’em painted’.
“Langholm was ideal because it had had mills, so there were people with good hand eye co-ordination and a natural colour sense,” said Ray.
As the popularity of the figurines soared, Border Fine Arts employed around 950 people across three sites in Carlisle, Northampton and Carrickfergus in County Antrim.
Ray has spent many hours observing wildlife for his intricate sculptures – perhaps staking out an otter family on the river bank or a kingfisher on a stream.
He also counts himself lucky enough to work with the late, great wildlife photographer, Eric Hoskins.
“For example to see an osprey was quite hard in the 70s – there weren’t that many of them around so I would phone up Eric. Whenever I was unsure of some analytical point or in what type of habitat a bird could be found I could always guarantee that he would advise me without hesitation.”
Ray also remembered keeping a gruesome stash of dead animals from which he could draw his initial designs. “I had chest freezers full of dead sheep and other fauna!”, he said.
But wherever he could he drew from life. “No other sculptor was feather counting,” he laughed. “I had to be accurate and know how many primaries and how many secondary feathers a bird had. What this whole thing has been about is ‘how accurate can I make it?’ and ‘how authentic can I make it?’
“People see robins all the time – they know what they look like and you have to convince people that your robin is a real robin.”
“Praise from other people was, and is always welcome, the self-awareness of doing what looked right, for me was the main reward. There are many people to thank for, what has so far been, a wonderful life for me in creating figurines for others to enjoy, especially my long suffering wife Stevie and John Hammond the founder of BFA who believed in my skills and trusted me to be the best I could be.”
It’s not known how much the pieces will fetch on Thursday but depending on how rare the figurine is – for example some are limited editions, people can expect to pay from around £50 to more than £1,000.
Ray himself will be at the Mart and has offered to sign people’s purchases.
Viewing dates for the auction are on Tuesday (December 5) from 2-5pm and Wednesday 6 between 9am-5pm and the sale in the Tynedale Function Suite is on Thursday 7 from 9am-1.30pm.
