Who is Ray Simon?

Ray Simon is an artist with a passion, that passion being America and the people who have made it great. He has spent his life dedicated to American history and painting the events that laid our path to freedom.

Ray Simon's Story

Ray is from Youngstown, Ohio, a small city that was a bustling metropolis before the steel industry's collapse. The steel plants moved out of the US, and Youngstown, like so many other cities, saw a significant decline in local jobs and an increase in economic hardships. This area is now known as the Rust Belt, from the way the once thriving area decayed.

Sitting in history class in the 7th grade, a teacher rolled in a record player and played Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man".  From the first moment, Ray heard the notes stream out of that record player, he was hooked on history. The song was written to honor the working-class people in America who were the most affected by World War II. Being from the Rust Belt, Simon sympathized with the plight of the working man, and the song fueled his fire to research history from that young age.

Ray showed a proclivity for art and illustration and ended up attending art school at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. After school, Ray worked as an illustrator for years, honing his craft. He went on to produce magnificent works of art, but his passion for American history remained.

A Nation Remembers, A World War II Story

In the mid-1990s, Ray ended up creating his first piece encapsulating one of the most significant moments in our history, "A Nation Remembers".  The piece depicted the heroes of World War II and the battles that were waged to fight off the scourge of evil from the world. Ray was inspired by the stories of his Father, Patrick Simon, who was a member of the legendary 101st Airborne in WWII and a recipient of a Purple Heart. Ray ended up partnering with the World War II Battlement Commission to get the painting out to the public, where it was incredibly well received. Upon completion of "A Nation Remembers,” Ray saw a new path for his artwork, combining his love for American history and his unparalleled artistic capability. 

Americas Artist

Ray continues to create magnificent works of art depicting the most important events in our history. He has been commissioned to immortalize some of the most significant historical figures in our nation's history, like doing a portrait of President George Washington for the Washington Presidential Library. Each part of the painting tells a significant story from that part of time or about the person being honored. 

Besides the Washington Presidential Library, Ray's art has been featured in some of the most astounding places across our country, some of those places include:

• The White House
• Lincoln Presidential Library 
• The Department of Defense 
• National Law Enforcement Memorial 
• Fort Knox
• Fort Hood 
• Fort Benning 
• Pro Football Hall of Fame
• National Hockey League 

These are just some of the many places that have hosted and commissioned Ray Simon for his one-of-a-kind style of art. Ray is the only artist who can pour a person's entire life into one canvas. 

Goal of Ray Simon Art

At Ray Simon Art, we want to tell the real history of America. We know that some of America's history is not entirely perfect, but nothing is. It is still a history that led the United States to become one of the best countries in the world. A country that promotes freedom and justice for all. We want to teach people that history and make sure that our history is preserved for future generations. Each painting tells a story about America or one of the legendary figures that have helped shape it.

Besides selling our one-of-a-kind pieces of art, Ray Simon Art is dedicated to helping and supporting America's veterans and our nation's first responders. When America was dealing with the losses of war in Iraq, the families of those soldiers left behind were suffering in ways some of us will never understand. Ray Simon wanted to make sure those families had a way to remember the heroes they lost. He created a program that donated 5,000 personalized pieces showing the branch of service they were in and a photo of the soldier in the painting. 

At Ray Simon Art, one of our primary goals is to support those American Soldiers who are putting their lives on the line to make sure our country remains free for future generations. 

As for our goal with the "Brush Up On History" blog we want to show our readers parts of history that are briefly touched on in school. Teaching our readers fascinating details about historical figures and events. We want to preserve and promote American history. 

Continue reading below to see how Ray Simon Art tells the story of one of America's most important figures. 

George Washington & The Second Battle of Trenton

Ray's process includes digging up every available fact on the person to incorporate the most significant and relatively unknown facts into his pieces.  If you look closely at the painting of President George Washington entitled "Divine Providence,” you will see in the bottom left corner a fox standing in the wheat field. While some people may glance at this and not think twice about it the fox actually tells its own story. 

Then General George Washington, leading an army of around 7,000 continental soldiers, was faced with a difficult decision: to stay and fight off the approaching British army led by General Cornwallis or to try an incredibly risky move. Washington decides to take the risk, which ultimately pays off. The fox represents General Cornwallis' shock and calls Washington an "Old Sly Fox.”

Learn American History with Ray Simon

A whole story lays behind one piece of this painting as it does with every piece of Ray Simon Art. One of the missions of Ray Simon Art is to teach people about American History, stories that, if they are not told, will be lost. Each of Ray's paintings holds great significance to the history of our great nation; if you want to read the full story about what George Washington did at the Second Battle of Trenton, tune in next week, where we will go into more detail.