Ray Troll (born March 4, 1954) is an American artist based in Ketchikan, Alaska. 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'' and being worn by actor Daniel Radcliffe. 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. 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''. Troll attended

Wichita Heights High School Wichita Heights High School, known locally as Heights, is a public secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary sc ...

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.

Awards

*2005 Excellence in Public Outreach Award from the American Fisheries Society *2006 Alaska Governor's Award for the Arts *2007 Gold Medal for Distinction in Natural History Art from Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University *2008 Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from the

University of Alaska Southeast The University of Alaska Southeast (UA Southeast, Alaska Southeast, or UAS) is a public university with its main campus in Juneau, Alaska and extended campuses in Sitka and Ketchikan. It is part of the University of Alaska System and was establ ...

*2011

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative abi ...

*2011 Distinguished Artist Award from the Rasmuson Foundation *2013 Geosciences in the Media Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists *2014 Ocean Ambassador Award from the

Alaska SeaLife Center The Alaska SeaLife Center, Alaska's premier public aquarium and Alaska's only permanent marine mammal rehabilitation facility, is located on the shores of Resurrection Bay in Seward in the U.S. state of Alaska. Open since May 1998, it is dedicat ...

*2015 Katherine Palmer Award from the

Paleontological Research Institution The Paleontological Research Institution, or PRI, is a paleontological organization in Ithaca, New York, with a mission including both research and education. PRI is affiliated with Cornell University, houses one of the largest fossil collect ...

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

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 The ''Fisher Poets Gathering'' is an annual event held on the last weekend of February in Astoria, Oregon, where men and women somehow tied to the fishing industry get together to share their poems, tales, and songs in celebration of the lifestyle a ...

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...

, 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

External links

Ray Troll's Official websiteRatfish Wranglers' Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Troll, Ray 1954 births Artists from Wichita, Kansas Artists from Alaska People from Ketchikan, Alaska Living people People from Corning, New York Artists from New York (state) Musicians from Alaska Paleoartists 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists 20th-century American musicians 21st-century American musicians