Artist Ray Drea, a former VP of Styling at Harley-Davidson, will have over 30 of his paintings on display at the Iron Horse Hotel in the month of July. Drea also will be present at the hotel on multiple occasions to paint live.
Seeing a painting by Drea for the first time is an experience. The bright hues and metallic shine of the motorcycles and faces of rock music icons create a sense of familiarity and invoking a feeling of freedom.
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“The subject[s] that I’m painting a lot of [are] in the rock world, musicians and singers,” he says. “And when you want to talk about a language that is universal, it’s music right? Music and the visual arts. So it’s just kind of natural to be able to use rock ‘n’ roll musicians as a subject matter that really speak to each person that experiences it on a personal level.”
Apart from influences originating in rock music, Drea’s art is filled with characteristics that call back to his Harley-Davidson roots. The emphasis on depicting Harley bikes is his way of incorporating the city into his work and highlighting its history.
“You go to gallery night and see a lot of talented art, yet from a subject matter standpoint it’s rare that you see anything that really leans on this Milwaukee heritage.” he says.
This showcasing of the city and its heritage is present in his pieces that will be on display this month. Drea says all the paintings will feature Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
“That background or experience of having been involved with Harley for so many years has really given me a deep appreciation for freedom.” he says. “I’ve actually gained much more appreciation for loosening up – [it’s] less about the technical aspect of ‘Hey, does that look like a photograph?’ and more about letting the artist come out in the painting itself.”
It’s the personalization of the art form that has led him to commission his art for individual clients. In his commission work, Drea turns his collaboration with clients into an experience, taking individual preferences for style, medium, color and subject. Drea likens the act of commissioning personalized art to a sophisticated selfie, calling back to motorcycle portraits that were once as ubiquitous in the motorcycle community.
“It will always take [the client] back to that place, that time, and that personal experience that they get to live on because it’s hanging on the wall,” he says.
Drea’s work will be on display in “Rock ‘n’ Rumble” at the Iron Horse Hotel from July 7-23. You can also catch him painting live at the hotel during Harley-Davidson’s 120th Anniversary Homecoming Festival from July 13-16.
“I enjoy the act of painting, being in the moment and pushing paint around is great for me, but the biggest reward is really when it resonates with somebody else,” he says.
Drea can also be found painting live during Gallery Night MKE, also at the Iron Horse, on July 21 from 5 to 9 p.m. and July 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
