American painter, draftsman, watercolorist, and printmaker, Raymond Lark was born to Bertha Lark, a domestic worker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 16, 1939. He rose from a shoe shine boy, farm laborer, junk man, and unskilled factory worker to become a successful artist.
As a young child, Dr. Lark demonstrated talent in the arts. At four years old he began to create works inspired by the experiences around him. Through trips to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, his desires to pursue art were solidified. Dr. Lark sought formal art training to make his dream of becoming an influential artist a reality.
He was educated at Temple University Evening College, Dobbins Vocational Night School and St. John's Night College before receiving his Doctorate from the University of Colorado. He continued his artistic training by studying technical illustration at Los Angeles Trade Technical College as he also prepared to earn a living in the commercial world in order to devote time, eventually, to his passion for drawing and painting.
Lark's emergence as an artist coincided with the vigor and energy of the modern civil rights movement. In 1967, Lark joined Art West Associated (AWA), a black arts organization in Los Angeles and San Francisco that promoted cultural discussion, organized educational programs, and campaigned for recognition and participation in mainstream art institutions.
Like his dedication to education, Dr. Lark's community service commitment has similarly endured to the present and has powerfully influenced the thematic development of his own art.
