Sheltering in Place. What does that mean when you are Ray Evans? We had just experienced a most wonderful Open House event introducing Ray Evans and his art to the public in Aptos Village. The evening was filled with creative conversations. We made new friends. We strengthened old connections. And then, the Corona Pandemic hit. Mulberry Gallery closed its doors as we all heeded Shelter in Place requirements. In a recent conversation with Ray I discovered that he has been quite busy creating new work.
At first Ray was extremely disappointed. Within a week of establishing a new art exhibit at Mulberry Gallery all was shut down. But then… a wave of creativity surged through his daily life. Four new paintings took form. We share the details here. In a few weeks we will share the finished art in our Aptos Gallery. Stay tuned for that!
Ray began painting and completed “Mermaid’s Dream.” Inspired by a special close friend who left this world too soon, Ray saw the heart and soul of love in a mermaid. He added angel wings. The mermaid, his friend, held a fluttering flying fish which turned into butterflies and hummingbirds. “Mermaid’s Dream” shimmers with love and life. 
Before culminating with his final piece, two other paintings took shape. These paintings capture the power Ray always feels in the spinning vortex of water. First there was a waterfall. He calls it “Exploding Water”. We see his waterfall as soft and gentle, exploding with beauty in the form of flowers and birds. Then came “Spinning Pelican” sailing through circles and tendrils of ocean water. This brought Ray to the midpoint of shelter down time. He left the water paintings behind. He turned to earth and sky and created a true masterpiece.
The sky is threatening with its swirls of color. It rolls over three trees. The middle tree is old and wise. On the right is a mature tree supporting both the the older tree and a young baby sapling on the left. A bird perches low in the painting watching the world change with its stormy sky. A swath of fluttering white leaves cascades over the mature tree promising hope in the midst of fear. And here, Ray pauses. He call it rest mode. While Ray pauses, we at Mulberry Gallery are opening up. We look forward to sharing his new work in the coming weeks. We are developing an online art store. This will launch before the end of June. We will keep you posted!
