Monica Ray who originally hails from The Netherlands, earned a certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration from the NY Botanical Garden. As a Lifelong artist,

gardener, plant-lover, and globetrotter, she draws endless inspiration from her garden and her travels. She enjoys rambles through nature –on foot or in kayak, often equipped with

a sketchbook, camera, and binoculars– scoring interesting finds to bring back to her studio for future works. She is a purist who craves color but at the same time loves the

juxtaposition of the bold and delicate elements in a black and white rendering. Monica has exhibited solo and in groups nationally and internationally and her work is held in private

collections in the US, Canada, Europe, and India. Her art is executed in colored pencil, silverpoint, graphite, pen and ink, watercolor, and mixed media.

Monica lived in the US for more than 35 years (obtaining US citizenship in 2002) and is grateful to have discovered ASBA; joining in 2011 and being elected to its Board of

Directors in 2018, she feels she found her tribe at last. She chairs and co-chairs various ASBA committees and also serves as its Vice President. She enjoys teaching and conducts

in-person art classes and workshops related to botanicals and natural science subjects at various locations. Monica lives in a village on the north shore of Long Island, NY with her

husband.