Gallery
Ray Schofield
The Sunderland Point art works of Ray Schofield
Ray Schofield was a talented, loving, generous, funny, eccentric character who was respected by many in this area for his artwork, including paintings, drawings and sculptures, often of wildlife.
Ray, born in 1948, lived at the Point for a few years after moving from Overton, where he part-owned the Old Schoolhouse art gallery in Middleton Road. He trained at Lancaster Art College and then Leeds Art College. He spent two years teaching in Whitehaven before returning to Lancaster to a post in the Adult Education Centre.
He taught in the Art Department at Lancaster Morecambe College for 30 years.
Ray produced many highly acclaimed sculptural and mural works throughout England and Wales for churches, public buildings, schools, and parks. As a working artist, he also illustrated children's books. He famously illustrated six books in the ‘Gladys and Dragon’ series. He also was inspired by JRR Tolkien’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy to produce some extraordinary pictures and sculptures.
Perhaps his best-known works include the mosaic for Ripley St Thomas School in Lancaster and the sundial in Williamson Park. The sundial, with each month cast in bronze, is situated on the site of the old bandstand. A visitor standing on the current month becomes – if the sun is shining - the ‘shadow caster’ and gains a rough idea of the time of day.
Ray had five children and died at the tragically young age of 55 in 2004.
We hope you enjoy browsing these wonderful images, but please remember that they are copyright and must not be copied.
1. Stile: Credit: Emily Fegan. Ray’s daughter Emily says: “My dad did this painting from Bazil Point for his mum and dad - my nana and grand-dad.”
2. Lapwings: Credit: Emily Fegan. Daughter Emily says: “Dad did a lot of lapwings on the marsh! He was just inspired by Sunderland Point.”
3. Second Terrace: Credit: Alan and Cynthia Smith. Cynthia says: “This is one of Bill Bailiff’s boats- and the boat and the painting are really nice. It still hangs in our kitchen where it’s been since Ray died.”
4. Posts: Credit: Alan and Cynthia Smith
4. Evening, Sunderland Point: Credit: Carole Roberts
5. Yacht at anchor: Credit: Dave and Pam Clarke. It’s taken from a Christmas card sent to them by Ray.
6. Dave Clarke with a Lord of the Rings chessboard made by Ray. Says Dave: “Ray was very inspired by Tolkien’s books - and this chessboard has the dragon Smaug on either side.”
7. Sunderland Point: Credit: Dave and Pam Clarke. Dave explains: “This is the biggest painting of the Point that I’ve seen of Ray’s - about seven feet by five. I don’t know how he did this. I doubt he took a large easel and piece of board up to the trig point in what looks like late autumn - so I think it’s from a photo - which explains the artistic licence.”
8. The Causeway: Credit: Dave and Pam Clarke
9. Old Wreck: Credit: David and Carol Arkwright
10. Ivanhoe: Credit: David and Carol Arkwright
11. First Terrace: Credit: Emily Fegan. Emily says: “Dad did a lot of really detailed pen and ink drawings - sometimes for calendars which he sold from his gallery in Overton.”
12. Second Terrace: Credit: Emily Fegan
13. The Cotton Tree: Credit: Emily Fegan
14. Second Terrace: Credit: Emily Fegan
15. Sunderland Point: Credit: Rosie Smith. Daughter Rosie says: “This is a small painting of a boat on the beach at the Point - a friend of mine bought it for me after finding it in a charity shop.”
16. River at night: Credit: Rosie Smith. Rosie says: “My dad gave this blue painting to me as a present as I absolutely loved it and its atmospheric colours.”
17. Second Terrace: Credit: Katie Bailiff
18. Sunderland Point: Credit: Elizabeth Gilchrist. Painted by Ray shortly before his death, this is said to be his personal favourite painting of the Point.
19. Sunderland Point: Credit: Elizabeth Gilchrist
20: Trevor in Della: Credit: Trevor and Margaret Owen. Margaret says: “Trevor and Ray shared the same birthday and on the morning of July 9, Ray was busy painting on the beach and Trevor went and talked to him. Later at tea time, Ray came round and said: ‘There you are Trevor - that’s the painting I’ve been doing for you today. Happy Birthday!”
21. Snow at Sunderland Point: Credit: Trevor and Margaret Owen
22. First Terrace Sunderland Point: Credit: Trevor and Margaret Owen. Margaret says: “This was a thankyou present from Ray for cleaning up his place after a flood. He’d gone out and like lots of newcomers to the Point, he didn’t realise how badly the river could flood. We went in and cleaned up and by the time he got back, it was all back to normal - so he gave this to us, which he didn’t have to do, but he was just a really lovely bloke.”
26. Yacht, low tide: Credit: Trevor and Margaret Owen.
23. The Green Buoy: Credit: Trevor and Margaret Owen
24. Ivanhoe: Credit: Trevor and Margaret Owen
25. The Sam York: Credit: Trevor and Margaret Owen
27. The cotton tree: Credit: Dorothy Calverley. This is the only painting in our gallery not done by Ray - it was painted by Dorothy Calverley during an art class given by Ray on Second Terrace. Dorothy says: “There were a few of us and we had a lovely time sitting and painting with Ray.”
28. Overton: Credit: David and Carol Arkwright
29. Overton: Credit: David and Carol Arkwright
30. The Causeway: Credit: Lynne and Ted Levey. Ted says: “This charcoal piece is quite lovely. Ray painted it before he moved to the Point because he loved the place to bits!”
31. Sambo's Grave: Credit: Lynne and Ted Levey
32. Second Terrace: Credit: Jo Young. Jo says: “I got this as an 18th birthday present.”
33. The Globe: Credit: John and Sally Hunt. Sally says: “We commissioned this from Ray when we were running the Globe. He sat painting in the car park - and we think it’s lovely.”
34. Second Terrace: Credit: John and Sally Hunt
35. Causeway: Credit Trudy Postlethwaite. Ray’s daughter Trudy said: “The lapwings in the picture represent the family - apart from my brother Rowan, who hadn’t been born yet.”
36. Smile high club: Ray
37. A life in art: Ray
38. Child’s play: Ray with some of his family outside his house at No9, First Terrace - grand-daughter Lily on his knee, then daughter Trudy with her son Laurie on her lap, then children Emily and Rowan on the right.