Ray Troll, The Fish Man of Ketchikan
Ray Troll has spent thirty six years in the rain swept town of Ketchikan, Alaska, cranking out a unique brand of fish-centric art that has gained him a reputation around the world. With a keen scientific eye for detail and a penchant for the odd and profoundly weird, Ray’s work has been seen and enjoyed in books, magazines, museum exhibits. and especially on his offbeat T-Shirts.
Ray’s art career started at the tender age of four when he was knee high to a Humpy. Something ‘clicked’ when he picked up his first crayon and he’s been at it ever since. Raised as an Air Force brat in a family of six kids, the Trolls moved from base to base, and state to state every few years.
The fact that four of the six siblings call Alaska home says a lot about the powerful pull of the 49th state. Alaska’s scenic grandeur, wildlife, and culture have profoundly shaped the course of Ray’s aesthetic sensibility.
Ray is also an a-fish-ian-ado of garage band rock and roll and plays in a group called ‘The Ratfish Wranglers’, now with three full length albums to their name.
Ray and his wife Michelle own and operate the Soho Coho gallery on Creek street in Ketchikan, appropriately located in a former ‘house of ill repute’ on a salmon spawning stream.
To find out the latest on Mr. Troll and his shenanigans check out his website at www.trollart.com.