Ray Jacobsen 1938-2007 “Ray was a very kind man and deeply involved in the arts community,” said sculptor Jim Callahan.
Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun
The man Sonoma recognized as a town treasure, famed artist Ray Jacobsen, died peacefully on Friday, Sept. 3 after a long struggle with cancer.
Jacobsen, 69, found his passion for art early on and never wavered from that path. After graduating from Sonoma Valley High School and Santa Rosa Junior College, he studied art in Europe before returning to Sonoma.
Over the years Jacobsen received many awards and tributes, including the Bronze California Discovery Award and the Pollock Krasner Foundation Mature Artist Grant and he has been Artist in Residence at Villa Montalvo in Saratoga and at Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma. He counted among his most notable exhibitions those held at The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art and especially valued being named Sonoma City Treasure Artist in 1997.
Lia Transue, Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art remembers Jacobsen as an ardent champion of establishing a museum in Sonoma. “Ray Jacobsen was one of the earliest supporters and was on the museum’s advisory council from the beginning.” Jacobsen participated in the museum’s exhibits as well as contributing to the SVMA Sonoma Collects and Wet Paint fundraisers.
Sculptor Jim Callahan, former president of the board of the SVMA and a 2000 Treasure Artist, reflects that, “One sees Ray constantly reinventing himself to fit his spiritual and intellectual journey. Honoring his own artistic integrity has not always been the most lucrative choice, but it has produced a very broad range of art that expresses the experience of being human.” Callahan remembers being welcomed into the arts community by Jacobsen. “Ray was a very kind man and deeply involved in the arts community. He helped start The Arts Guild and always was there at openings to set up chairs, pour the wine and make the occasion a special one.”
Jacobsen’s signature landscapes and flowers derive from his affection for his surroundings, and he later applied his distinctive vision to a variety of new subjects. His art can be found in numerous public and private collections. He described his paintings as “a blend of realism and the surreal in a unique interpretation of our hills and valleys. My deep personal love of the natural beauty of Sonoma County and the northern California coast has inspired my work for more than five decades.”
Transue calls Jacobsen one of the true mentors for art here in Sonoma. “His presence was so much a part of the fabric of the community for so many years, there is going to be a void that won’t be filled. But the legacy of his work will always continue to bring joy to people.”
