Ray Troll

Ray Troll (born March 4, 1954) is an American artist based in Ketchikan, Alaska.[1] He is best known for his scientifically accurate and often humorous artwork. His most well-known design is "Spawn Till You Die", which has appeared in many places including the film Superbad[2] and being worn by actor Daniel Radcliffe.[3]

Ray Troll
Ray Troll in 2017
Born
Raymond Michael Troll

(1954-03-04) March 4, 1954
Corning, New York, U.S.
EducationMFA
Alma materWashington State University
SpouseMichelle Troll
Websitetrollart.com

Troll's renditions of everything from salmon to marine mammals to creatures only found in the fossil record have become iconic in fishing, scientific, and environmental activism communities around the world. He seeks inspiration from extensive field work in marine science, paleontology, geology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. His paintings and mixed-media drawings are in the collections of the Miami Museum of Science, the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Alaska Airlines, the Anchorage Museum, the Alaska State Museum, and the Ketchikan Museum.[4]

He has collaborated once again with Kirk Johnson, a director with the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History. Entitled Cruisin' the Fossil Coastline: The Travels of an Artist and a Scientist along the Shores of the Prehistoric Pacific.[5]

Troll attended Wichita Heights High School in Kansas, graduating in 1972.

In 2002, the ratfish Hydrolagus trolli was named after him in recognition of his efforts to raise awareness of ratfish.[6]

Awards

Books
  • Planet Ocean: A Story of Life, the Sea, and Dancing to the Fossil Record (Pictures by Troll, Words by Brad Matsen, 1994, Ten Speed)
  • Raptors, Fossils, Fins, and Fangs (Troll and Brad Matsen, 1995, Tricycle)
  • Life's A Fish and Then You Fry, An Alaskan Seafood Cookbook (Author Randy Bayliss, Illustrations by Troll, 2002, Alaska Northwest)
  • Sharkabet: A Sea of Sharks from A to Z (2002, Alaska Northwest)
  • Rapture of the Deep, the Art of Ray Troll (2004, University of California Press, Introduction by David James Duncan and essay by Brad Matsen)
  • Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway (with Kirk Johnson, 2006, Fulcrum)
  • Something Fishy This Way Comes (2010, Sasquatch)
  • Cruisin' the Fossil Coastline: The Travels of an Artist and a Scientist along the Shores of the Prehistoric Pacific (with Kirk Johnson), 2018, Fulcrum Publishing ISBN 1555917437

Music

Troll is a lifelong music aficionado and musician. He and his band, the Ratfish Wranglers, play festival, saloon, and dance party dates from Alaska to California, appearing at Salmonfest (formerly Salmonstock) in Ninilchik, Alaska, the Fisher Poets Gathering in Astoria, Oregon, and many other events around the Pacific Northwest.

Discography
  • Fish Worship (2015, Troll, Russell Wodehouse and Ratfish Wranglers)
  • Cruisin' The Fossil Freeway (2009, Troll, Wodehouse and Ratfish Wranglers)
  • Where The Fins Meet The Frets (2007, Troll and the Ratfish Wranglers)
  • Dancing To The Fossil Record (1995, music composed by Wodehouse to accompany Planet Ocean, Dancing to the Fossil Record exhibit)

References
  1. Troll, Ray (2004). Rapture of the Deep. University of California Press. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-520-23947-0.
  2. "Troll Product Cultural Sightings". Trollart.com The Fin Art of Ray Troll. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  3. Sampio, Gina. "More Troll Product Cultural Sightings". Trollart.com The Fin Art of Ray Troll. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  4. Fishy business: Ketchikan artist Ray Troll thrives on creatures of the sea, Alaska Dispatch News, Steve Quinn, May 15, 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  5. "Ratfish named after Ketchikan artist Ray Troll | Peninsula Clarion". 2014-10-25. Archived from the original on 2014-10-25. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  6. "Past AFS Award Winners". American Fisheries Society. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  7. "Governor's Awards for the Arts & Humanities Announced". SitNews. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  8. "A Bit of Evolution". The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  9. Pugh, John. "UAS Projects Record Number of Graduates" (PDF). Chancellor's Report. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  10. "Ray Troll". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  11. "Ketchikan's Ray Troll Receives 2011 Rasmuson Distinguished Artist Award". Rasmuson Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  12. Moore, Susie. "Welte to Receive Sidney Powers Award". AAPG. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  13. "Artist Ray Troll to Receive Ocean Ambassador Award". Seward City News. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  14. "Congratulations to artist and avocational paleontologist Ray Troll". Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth's Facebook Page. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
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