Ray Hassard was born in Freeport NY in 1949. He grew up in the New York City area and studied at Pratt Institute. After moving to Buffalo NY in 1977 urban landscapes became his primary artistic theme. Ray won several commissions, most notably one to create and install a large wall piece for the subway the city was building. In 1987, after moving to Cincinnati, he became coowner, publisher, and art director of American Record Guide, a bimonthly magazine reviewing classical music CDs. Ray is a Signature member of the Cincinnati Art Club and the Pastel Society of America; MidAmerica Pastel Society has designated him Master Pastelist. In 2014 he was named to the Master Circle by the International Association of Pastel Societies. Travel and painting are his two loves: he returned to India for the 6th time in 2009 to paint en plein air and paints in Europe every year. In 2013 he was Artist in Residence in Dinan, France for the month of June. Great American Artworks has asked Ray to select his favorite pastels for the Ray Hassard, People and Places Assortment. His art was the subject of a feature article in Pastel Journal (Oct 2010w and was selected for the program book cover illustration at the 2011 IAPS convention. He was featured in Plein Air Magazine (Oct 2013) and again in Pastel Journal (March 2014) as winner of the Gold Medal Award in the Top 100 competition. Pastel is his main medium, but Ray also works in oils, acrylics and gouache.