The Santa Clarita Artists Association will feature watercolor artist Ray Hunter at its monthly meeting, Monday, Sept. 16 at Barnes and Noble Booksellers, 23630 Valencia Blvd., Valencia 91355.

The meeting is free to the public, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Hunter is a watercolor artist specializing in realistic seascapes, landscapes and animal and figurative paintings.

He was born in Montana and graduated from Eastern Montana College in 1971 with a degree in Art Education. He began studying watercolor painting with local Montana artist Len Sundell.

Hunter relocated to the Pacific Northwest and studied with Deanne Lemley and Jerry Stitt. He has taken workshops with William Ryan, Charles Reid, Alvaro Castagnet and Joe Bohler. His work has been exhibited in the Edmonds Art and Mercer Island Art Festivals in Washington State and featured in the Foss Maritime Calendar.

In 1997, Hunter and family moved to Santa Barbara. He became a juried artist member of the California Art Club, a signature member of the California Watercolor Association and American Society of Marine Artists. He’s shown in multiple festivals and venues, including the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, Casa Del Herrero, Marin Agricultural Land Trust and Santa Barbara Club.

His painting “Lesson on the Yellowstone” won first prize in the national Paint the Parks competition. He is a member of the Oak Group, an organization that promotes the preservation of the land along the California coast. Hunter is a multiple exhibitor at the California Art Club Gold Medal Exhibitions. He is represented by Waterhouse Gallery in Santa Barbara.

Partial funding provided by Solar Optimum via the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture Public Art in Private Development Program.

For more information about SCAA and the SCAA Gallery, visit santaclaritaartists.org Follow SCAA on Social: FB and IG: SCAA: @santaclaritaart, SCAA Gallery: @artgallery.scaa.