The exhibition Ray Howard-Jones 1903-1996 A Retrospective was officially opened at Tenby Museum and Art Gallery by Professor Tony Curtis on Friday.

Ray Howard-Jones's life was, in many ways, exceptional. She attended the Slade School of Art where she was taught by Henry Tonks who described her as 'the finest colourist the Slade has ever produced.' She worked in the National Museum of Wales as an archaeological draughtsman. During WWII, she recorded loadings for D-Day and was one of only a small number of officially accredited female war artists. She travelled extensively through Europe after the war and became closely associated with Wales, especially the island of Skomer where she spent the summer for several years. Ray was inspired by nature and the inner spiritual life portrayed in Christian teachings and Celtic mysteries and legends. She had her first solo exhibition in 1935 and afterwards exhibited widely.

In his opening speech, Professor Curtis, who had co-curated the exhibition with Mark Lewis, collections manager at Tenby Museum, expressed his delight with the show. He had met Ray once briefly in Penarth at an exhibition and had learned so much more about her since. She had an eccentric nature, and would often be seen swimming and walking around Skomer naked.

Tony stated: "She found a deep sense of spirituality in Pembrokeshire. She called Martin's Haven, Easter Bay and in much the same way that RS Thomas did through his poetry, she gained an appreciation of God in nature which she expressed through her work. This exhibition will hopefully help to bring her work out of obscurity and back into the light of critical appreciation and onto the walls of galleries across Britain."

He congratulated Tenby Museum on the hang and applauded them for being a major part of this reassessment of her life and work. Tony also paid tribute to Ray's family who had been extremely supportive throughout the long process of organising the exhibition.

The exhibition features over forty works, many of which are from the museum's collection. Others have been borrowed from private collectors. Four of the works are available for purchase.

The exhibition traces Ray's artistic career, from an early portrait through her war pictures and her landscapes. The earliest work dates from 1929, the latest from the 1980s. Many of the works in the exhibition are being shown in a public gallery for the very first time. The exhibition will tour three further venues across Wales in 2014. The exhibition will feature on the S4C magazine programme Prynhawn Da to be shown in September.

Professor Curtis, who has also written a catalogue in conjunction with the exhibition, will be giving an illustrated talk on Ray Howard-Jones at Tenby Museum tonight (Friday) at 7 pm. Please contact the museum for details if you are interested in attending this talk on (01834) 842809.

The exhibition Ray Howard-Jones 1903-1996 A Retrospective runs until Sunday, October 20.