Art by Ray-Mel Cornelius

See Art by Ray-Mel Cornelius in Winnsboro

Winnsboro Center for the Arts (WCA) presents Points of View featuring southwest artist Ray-Mel Cornelius through August 6 at 200 Market St. in Winnsboro, Texas.

As a child in the small town of Royse City, Cornelius began to draw at a young age. With his mother’s help and encouragement, he began to create illustrated books from folded paper bags. Another favorite activity was drawing on a blackboard hung in the kitchen.

While his small-town school did not offer art classes, at age 14 Cornelius enrolled in a private oil painting class where he mostly created paintings of flowers and owls which his mother loved giving to friends. Soon he moved on to more appealing other subject matter that was inspired by artists of fantasy-novel covers and comics — with Frank Frazetta and Jeff Jones as his favorites. Cornelius enjoyed the strong fine arts program at East Texas State University in Marshall where he majored in graphic design.

Like many art students in the 1970s he was a fan of the surrealist painters Salvador Dali and Max Ernst, as well as pop artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

A big influence on his work then was the original Spider-Man artist Steve Ditko and comics icon Jack Kirby. Today he adds David Hockney, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, and Maynard Dixon to his list of favorite and influential painters. Throughout his career as a graphic artist, Cornelius continued to exhibit his personal non-commissioned paintings. Since 2001 his work has appeared in 11 solo shows and 55 group exhibitions throughout the West.

After his first extended visit to New Mexico in the mid-1990s, his subject matter expanded to include mountains and subjects in nature. He often delights viewers with birds, bears, jackrabbits, coyotes, mountain wildflowers, and the architecture of rural New Mexico rendered in his unique and colorful style. The artist divides his time between Taos and Dallas, where he teaches in the art department of Dallas College. His works are available at Ro2 Art in Dallas and David Anthony Fine Art in Taos, New Mexico.

Learn more about exhibitions and events at WCA at www.winnsborocenterforthearts.com