Chez Ray Souffle Painting

“It’s not a small world; it’s a large family.” – Chez Ray Sewell RIP Ray. The legendary Chez Ray was one of the most colorful, eccentric, and memorable characters in the Grateful Dead's traveling hippie circus from back in the day... and that's saying a lot! Rest assured that Ray's seat was definitely on the Bozo bus, but he was more than just another Merry Prankster. At certain times of every day, Chez Ray was the single most important person on the tour. I'm talking specifically about meal time, since Ray was the Head Chef in charge of feeding the band as well as the dozens of other folks in the tribe that were part of the scene. He called his unique process "Jazz Cooking" since every recipe was a free-form culinary experiment that he made up as he went along. His spreads were amazingly creative, nourishing, and nobody ever left hungry. Ray was a local foodie icon in Portland and was a fixture at The Oregon Country Fair. Inevitably, other bands heard about Ray so he was in big demand for a while. He cooked for plenty of other groups on and off the road, but he never turned down The Dead when they called and were ready to go on tour. I got to know Ray many years after those crazy days were in the rear view mirror for both of us, but I got to hear his stories. Oh, and did Ray love to tell stories! We talked often. He relished the opportunity to reminisce with me, and he loved to laugh when he remembered the antics that the band, the roadies, and the rest of the entourage pulled on each other for fun. It was a magical time of cultural and musical innovation, and Ray was feeding everyone backstage. By 2015 we were working to launch his coffee brand on the East Coast, but it never happened. Ray had a notoriously short attention span, and his health was deteriorating by then and he started focusing on other things in his life. He's gone now, too soon, but we should all be so lucky as to match how much living Chez Ray baked into his time on this earth. Few of us made as many friends either. This piece was created in tribute to Chez Ray Sewell, and it's not supposed to be a picture of an actual souffle. It's just an abstract tribute, okay? The piece is painted on a Masonite panel and the frame is included so it's ready to hang wherever original artwork should be hung.

Painting:Oil on Wood

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:24 W x 24 H x 0.3 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.