Born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Ray Grathwol came to live and work in Akron, Ohio. He was a self-taught painter who depicted primarily Ohio scenes. Many of his works are in frames made by Grathwol himself.

He was a member of the Akron Society of Arts. Although he exhibited extensively (Carnegie Institute, World's Fair in New York, Canton Art Institute, Parkersburg Fine Art Center, Massillon Museum, Ohio University, Akron Art Institute) and won many prizes, he did not sell many of his paintings. Only recently, following the artist's death in 1992, have his works been much more widely appreciated and sought after. A good number have been coming out of the artist's estate, and more and more they appear in fine galleries and collections.

With Grathwol's water painting, Harbor Scene, he draws us into the calm foreground first, with the silent fisherman and anchored boat, to create a deceptively quiet first impression. But to the left, the fisherman bringing a sail down and the waterfront, busy with people, echoes with movement, only to be subdued again by the glassy surface of the water, and the waning sunlight beyond the distant shore. Using a naïve, almost a folk art style, Grathwol conveys a warm, sincere peace, a captivating stillness, that makes it difficult to break away from this work.

Source:
JMB Galleries