Raymond "Ray" George Neher was born in Orange, New jersey, in 1943. His first passion was architecture, for which he was awarded his Bachelor of Architecture form the Carnegie Mellon University and his Masters from Columbia University. He began his career as an architect in New York City in the early 1970s, working for Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. In addition to traditional designs he became involved with historical restoration and adaptive re-use, and in 1973 he was transferred to San Francisco, California, where he worked on designing a New Community in Ahwaz, Iran. While there, he pursued fine art, continuing his personal studies in acrylic painting and joining the Fort Mason Printmakers in the early 1980s. Much of his work investigates landscapes seen from the road, as he often traveled, and often display a subtle sense of humor. Despite the diminishment of his eyesight he continued to paint until well into his later years. Neher passed away in March of 2004.