Ray Ching

Raymond Ching is renowned as New Zealand’s leading contemporary bird and figure painter.   

Living in Wiltshire, UK, Ching paints birds and animals, as well as remarkably life-like portraits. Working primarily in oils and watercolours, Ching’s works are incredibly detailed with an almost photographic quality. Merging realism with fictional compositions, he slowly builds up his paintings layer upon layer, often leaving the under–drawing peeking through the transparent paint. 

Eleven books documenting his paintings have been published which include: ‘The Bird Paintings’, 1978, ‘Studies & Sketches of a Bird Painter‘, 1981,’The Art of Raymond Ching’, 1981, ‘Wild Portraits‘, 1988, ‘Ray Harris Ching,  

In 2010 Ching ventured into the genre of graphic novels with the first publication by David Bateman Publishing, ‘Aesop’s Kiwi Fables – Painting Ray Ching’.  This publication accompanied the first of two exhibitions at ARTIS Gallery (2010, and 2012). In 2014, Dawn Chorus was published (also by Bateman Publishing) and accompanied another two further exhibitions at ARTIS in 2014 and 2015.