B i o g r a p h y
Ramon Oscar Lopez was born and raised in Miami with family origins in Cuba. His talent for art was noticed at a very young age by his teachers. He studied drawing, painting, and design under Lead Teachers Tom Wyroba and Jim Hunter at New World School of the Arts where he graduated in 2005 with the Superintendent's Diploma of Distinction. During his time at New World, he received 4 gold keys from the Scholastics Art and Writing Awards and crowned these achievements with an American Visions Gold Key in Printmaking, under the guidance of Celeste Pierson and by participating in the College Board Art Exhibit at Britto Central in Miami Beach. He also won 2nd place for the regional Latino Art Beat competition, under the leadership of Don Rossi Nucio, receiving a Certificate of Recognition from the City of Miami and Mayor Regalado.
In 2008 he received his BFA with honors in Illustration from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA. Ray was advised by Ann Field, Illustration Department Chair, and mentored by Associate Professor Aaron Smith, Steve Turk, Edwin Olson, Alex Schaefer, Gayle Doyle, Jason Holley, Rob Clayton, Esther Pearl Watson, Mark Todd, and the legendary Illustrator Gary Meyer. Upon graduation, he became art assistant to nationally-known peace mural artist, Ana Houng. He also worked as an art preparator for Cuban Art Gallery, Cernuda Arte in Coral Gables.
In 2009 Ray was awarded the Artist in Residency at the Miami Children’s Museum. During his time there he developed 3 separate art projects with local elementary schools of low socioeconomic status. He was a co-founder of the Flagler Arts Space, LLC from 2010 – 2011 where he acted as curator of exhibitions. Ray’s solo shows include “People, Places, + $20.00 Things” at the Flagler Arts Space, “Personas” at the NWSA ArtSeen Gallery, and “Natura” at the CGAF Gallery. His group exhibitions include NWSA Alumni Exhibition: “Youngblood” 2009 & 2012, “Muralis” at the FAS, “80 Inches of Art” a silent auction fundraiser for NWSA at the Sagamore Hotel, “Tres” at the CGAF Gallery, and “Natural Selection” Art Basel week juried exhibition at the Hunter Gallery, Coconut Grove. Curated projects during this time included a group exhibition at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery – “Allegories for Time” and a group exhibition at the Armory Art Center West Palm Beach – “Sea Rising: A Survey of South Florida Artists.” Ray was awarded 2nd place in the “Paint Me Miami” competition, which was held at the Young Arts Gallery in Downtown Miami in 2015. While teaching full-time at Doral Academy, Ray completed his Masters of Science degree in Art Education, graduating at the top of his class.
Ray’s work lies at the intersection of fine art, plein-aire sketching, illustration, and photography. He is proficient in most of the areas of the visual arts: the figure and anatomy, portraiture, plein-aire, perspective, color theory, all mediums of painting, illustration, digital art, sequential art, graphic design, sculpture, and printmaking. Recent accolades for his artwork include City of North Miami "Ramon Oscar Lopez Day, September 13th", Best in Painting at Pines Art Fest, Artist of Note in the SoMi Rotary Arts Festival, and Teacher of the Year Nomination for South Miami Senior High.
Ray lives and works in Miami. He is the only Magnet Teacher of the Photography and Graphic Design & Illustration programs at South Miami Senior High. He is married and has two sons.
C u r r i c u l u m V i t a e
E D U C A T I O N
2015 Master of Science in Creative Leadership & Education..................................Florida International University, Miami, FL
2008 Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors in Illustration & Visual Design...............Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA
2005 Superintendent’s Diploma of Distinction...........................................................New World School of the Arts, Miami, FL
E X P E R I E N C E
2010 - Present.................Miami-Dade County Public Schools, South Miami Senior High School, Doral Academy Preparatory
Magnet Program Director for Photography and Graphic Design/Illustration, Chair of Visual & Performing Arts
Visual Design, Art Direction, Advertising, and Marketing Team Leader, State-Certified Educator
2009 - 2010....................Art Preparateur....................CernudaArte Cuban Art Gallery, Coral Gables, FL
2008 - 2009...................Artist in Residence.............Miami Children's Museum, City of Miami, FL
2008 - 2009...................Lead Curator.........................Flagler Arts Space, LLC, Miami, FL
A R T F E S T I V A L S
2025 Beaux Arts Festival, Coral Gables
2025 South Miami Arts Festival, Artist of Note Award, South Miami, FL
2024 Beaux Arts Festival, Coral Gables, FL
2024 SoMi Rotary Arts Festival, South Miami, FL
2023 Beaux Arts Festival, Coral Gables, FL
2023 SoMi Rotary Arts Festival, South Miami, FL
2022 Beaux Arts Festival, Coral Gables, FL
2021 Pembroke Pines Art Fest, Best in Show, Oil Painting, Pembroke Pines, FL
2020 Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Watercolors, Miami, FL
2015 Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Emerging Artist, Miami, FL
A W A R D S
2025 Artist of Note - SoMi Arts Festival
2024 Artist of Note - SoMi Arts Festival
S O L O E X H I B I T I O N S
2013 Natura | CGAF Gallery, Miami, FL
2012 [PERSONAS] | ArtSeen Gallery, Wynwood Art District, Miami, FL
2011 People, Places, & $20.00 Things | Flagler Arts Space, LLC, Miami, FL
2008 Yard Sale | California Boulevard Complex, Pasadena, CA
2005 Artworks by Ray Lopez | Pinecrest Gardens Gallery, Pinecrest, FL
G R O U P E X H I B I T I O N S
2019 Nocturne Views | Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery, Miami, FL
2018 Alumni Invitational | FIU Graham Center Gallery, Miami, FL
2017 #BaselMeBaby | Wynwood Café & Lounge, Wynwood, Miami, FL
2017 NWSA Alumni Silent Auction | FAENA Building, Miami Beach, FL
2017 Backroom Sessions Vol. 6 | The Fish House, Miami, FL
2017 PaintMeMiami Art Competition | Little Haiti Cultural Complex, Miami, FL
2017 Alumni Art Exhbition | Graham Center Gallery, FIU, Miami, FL
2016 PaintMeMiami Art Competition | Bakehouse Art Complex | Wynwood, Miami, FL
2016 Juried Plein-Air Compeitition | Villa Paula Museum & Gallery, Miami, FL
2015 PaintMeMiami Art Competition | YoungArts Gallery | Little Haiti, Miami, FL
2015 Painting in the Gardens | Graham Center Art Gallery, FIU, Miami, FL
2014 Miami Greenscapes | Miguel Rodez Art Projects, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL
2014 New & Emerging Artists | Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Miami, FL
2014 Sea Rising: A Survey of South Florida Contemporary Art | the Armory, West Palm Beach, FL
2014 Allegories for Time | CGAF Gallery, Miami, FL
2013 Drawing Explorations II | Miguel Rodez Art Projects, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL
2012 Youngblood: Homecoming | ArtSeen Gallery, Wynwood, Miami, FL
2011 Porque, Cazador? | Flagler Arts Space, LLC, Miami, FL
2011 80 Inches of Art | Sagamore Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
2011 Muralis | Flagler Arts Space, LLC, Miami, FL
2011 Flagler Arts Space, Inaugural Exhibition | Flagler Arts Space, LLC, Miami, FL
2010 Natural Selection | Hunter Gallery, Coconut Grove, Miami, FL
2010 Crossing the Line | Buena Vista Building, Miami Design District, Miami, FL
2010 Tres | Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery, Coconut Grove, Miami, FL
2010 Coast to Coast: 2-Man Show | Art With A Purpose Galleria, North Miami, FL
2010 Coast to Coast: Works on Paper | ArtSeen Gallery, Wynwood, Miami, FL
2009 Youngblood: New World Mixx | ArtSeen Gallery, Wynwood, Miami, FL
2008 Art Center Graduation Show | ACCD, Pasadena, CA
2007 Illustration Scholarship Competition | the Hangar, Pasadena, CA