Ray Salter

Ray Salter was born in 1945 in London, England, and currently resides in Salem, MA.

Salter originally studied Drama at Emerson College in Boston and was an actor throughout his twenties and thirties. During the Vietnam War Ray served as a photographer in the Armed Forces. Salter began studies at the Butera School of Art in 1979, followed by training at Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1982. His interest in portraiture, in part due to his work as a photographer, led him to apprentice under Warren Prosperi in Newton, MA. Salter has been greatly influenced by the work of Toulouse Lautrec, Edward Hopper, and Mucha. He prefers to paint his portraits on paper or board isolating within the edges of the surface and stray paint smudges.

Ray Salter has exhibited his work locally in libraries in Salem, MA, Lynn, MA, Cambridge, MA and at the Gateway Gallery in Brookline, MA. Several of Salter’s works are owned and internationally exhibited by the Museum of Everything in London, England.

This image gallery showcases the artist’s archived portfolio; available works for sale may differ. Inquire about additional artwork available for purchase by Ray Salter: (617) 734-1577

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I don’t paint on canvas, I paint on cardboard, because I like that you get immediacy with the cardboard. I do mainly portraits. Any face that has an arresting quality to it, I’ll paint it. If it has nothing about it that I can feel then I don’t do it.

I’ve been able to grow a lot faster than I would have if I hadn’t joined [Gateway]. It’s been a life changing organization for me.