George Gray: Son of a Cowboy

The "Son of a Cowboy" exhibit is in the Arts Corridor and features 27 paintings, mostly including Western and Native American scenes.

A man of many talents, George Gray’s New Mexico roots run deep. His childhood was spent on a ranch in Estancia, where he learned the life of a cowboy. His father, Bernie R. Gray, was a brand inspector who was well-known to ranchers across New Mexico.

Gray attended New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts (later New Mexico State University), where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education, and a master’s in creative painting. From 1953 to 1961, he was an art teacher at Las Cruces High School, before teaching art for 25 more years in California. He returned to Las Cruces with his wife, Lucy, in 1992, and taught for several more years at Mayfield High School and NMSU before his retirement. Today, he remains immensely proud of the accomplishments of his many students.

Many area residents may have seen Gray’s work without knowing it; his design for the Great Seal of Dona Ana County was adopted in the 1950s. Locally, he is perhaps best known for his religious art. He is a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Mesilla Park, and has completed paintings for several area churches.