JAMES WILSON RAYEN

RAYEN, James Wilson Of Weston, Mass., formerly of Westwood, Mass., died peacefully at home Tuesday morning, February 26, 2013. He was 77 years old. Rayen was born April 9, 1935 in Youngstown, Ohio. He was a graduate of Phillips Academy Andover, and received BA, BFA, and MFA degrees from Yale University. After receiving his MFA in 1961, he taught at Wellesley College, where he remained until his retirement in 2003. Rayen was the Elizabeth Christy Kopf Professor of Art, remembered as a devoted teacher and an extraordinary painter. He was strongly influenced by Philip and Maud Morgan at Phillips Academy, and by Josef Albers and Rico Lebrun at Yale. Rayen was a well-known landscape painter who continued to paint and exhibit during retirement. In the 1970s, Professor Rayen was instrumental in helping turn the College's studio art courses into a full major. He was preceded in death by his spouse of 48 years, Bruce Donaldson. They were married in 2007. Funeral services will be private. A memorial service will be held at Wellesley College in April. Contributions in memory of Professor Rayen may be made to Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., or Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.