Indelible Artist

Gary Ray Smith

Painter, designer and creator of Claude Decrepney — the sailor-muse at the centre of Gary Ray Smith's distinctive world. His work combines British humour, nostalgia, tenderness and character-led storytelling.

Painting & printsClaude DecrepneyOi Oi SailorBritish contemporary
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Gary Ray Smith artwork

Biography

Artist background

Gary Ray Smith studied Fashion & Textiles in Southend and Painting at Chelsea College of Art. After decades working across creative industries, he moved into full-time art and design, building a devoted audience around a body of work that is personal, eccentric and unmistakably his own.

Claude Decrepney became the recurring sailor-muse at the heart of the work: part alter ego, part pin-up and part storytelling device. Through Claude and the wider Oi Oi Sailor world, Smith moves between cheeky humour and genuine emotional vulnerability.

The result is work that can feel nostalgic and playful at first glance, but often carries something much more intimate underneath.

At a glance
Known forClaude Decrepney
SeriesOi Oi Sailor
BackgroundFashion, textiles & painting
ThemesHumour, nostalgia & tenderness
CollectingOriginals & editions
GalleryIndelible Fine Art, Brighton

Available works

Current selection
Gary Ray Smith - Lily

Lily

£800
Gary Ray Smith - Bare

Bare

£2,000 • Oil on canvas • 50 × 70 cm • 2026
Gary Ray Smith - Twenty Two

Twenty Two

£2,300 • Oil on recycled board • 50 × 70 cm • 2026
View full Gary Ray Smith collection

Highlights

Why collectors respond
  • An instantly recognisable character-led world centred around Claude Decrepney.
  • British seaside nostalgia balanced with wit and emotional honesty.
  • A broad practice spanning original paintings, found objects, editions and smaller works.
  • A close relationship with Indelible, including the Oi Oi Sailor exhibition and participation in the Lily Foundation charity show.

References

Further context
Sailors JailArtist context and the wider Gary Ray Smith / Claude world. IndelibleGallery context around Gary Ray Smith and Oi Oi Sailor. The Lily Foundation ShowGary Ray Smith as part of Indelible's 2026 charity exhibition. Indelible CollectionThe current Gary Ray Smith works listed through the gallery.

At Indelible

Brighton & Gary Ray Smith

Gary Ray Smith is one of the artists most closely connected with Indelible's contemporary programme. The gallery has presented his Oi Oi Sailor world, carries a substantial selection of his work and included him in the 2026 Lily Foundation charity exhibition.

The current collection ranges from smaller accessible pieces through to larger character-led originals, making it possible to collect Gary's work at several different levels.

Explore Gary Ray Smith at Indelible, or contact the gallery for availability, framing, condition and collecting advice.

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A typewritten page with a paragraph about childhood memories and the author's father's advice about art.
Close-up of a typewritten text reading 'by Kitty Smith'.
Black and white portrait of a person with short curly hair, wearing a striped shirt, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression.
A painting of two women walking through water with a hill and castle in the background, surrounded by white flowers in the foreground.
Typed text reading 'Gary Ray Smith – The Artist'
A man with curly hair and glasses holding a young child in his arms outdoors among green plants and flowers.
A woman on scaffolding outside a building is putting up papers or signs in a display case. Several people are walking on the sidewalk in the background.
Drawing of a baby in a walker with a vacuum cleaner attached, labeled "CLEAN".
A painted portrait of a woman with blue eyes, red lips, short light-colored hair covered with a white headscarf, and a red neckerchief. The background is plain and muted.
Page of typed text recalling memories about old vinyl records, moving to Cornwall in 2003, and artwork at Chelsea School of Art in the 1980s. Describes a shop called Claude Decrepney, a mascot called Roger, and a person's early work mixing self-portraits, landscapes, and knitted blankets.
A man with a beard holding a baby with blond hair and blue eyes, sitting on a dark brown couch.
A painted portrait of a young boy with brown hair, big eyes, and wearing a light-colored shirt.
A woman with dark hair wearing a black turtleneck and blue jeans holding a baby dressed in white, with the baby wearing a black hat with white polka dots, in an indoor setting.
Typed text about personal growth, family, and pursuing art, mentioning a son, knitting, YouTube, and being an artist.
A hand-drawn sketch of two young children with angel wings, standing with crossed arms, wearing only underwear.
A man smiling while carrying a young child on his shoulders outdoors on a cloudy day.
A young boy with blond hair smiling while holding a colorful, woven textile or blanket outdoors in front of greenery.
A watercolor illustration of a woman with long hair wearing a striped shirt and jeans, pushing a stroller with a small child. The text at the bottom reads 'Long Hair Don't Care' and there is handwritten text on the right side.
Typed excerpt about someone named Claude Decrepy, discussing his growth from a model to a person with a following, inspired by his grandfather, and his evolution into an artist.
A woman with dark brown hair and red lipstick and a man with short dark hair and a beard smiling, close together in a photo.
Painting of a man with blue eyes, pink cheeks, and a mustache, wearing a beige captain's hat with a black brim, against a dark green background. He is dressed in a red shirt with yellow and orange floral patterns. He has various tattoos on both arms, including a sun with a face, a skull, and a mermaid with curly hair. A black cat is in the background near his left shoulder.
A black and white photo of two adults and two children outdoors, with a building and trees in the background.
A pencil sketch of a large bear's face with a small child with wings standing on its nose
A portrait of a young girl with light skin, blue eyes, short dark hair with bangs, wearing a tiger-striped shirt, and a small tiger cub with blue eyes sitting on her shoulder against a teal background.
A typed excerpt of an inspiring speech about a man's passion for work and art, referencing a solo show opening on June 27 by Gary Ray Smith, and mentioning children watching him work.
A painting of a fierce lion with green eyes, sharp teeth, and a flowing yellow mane. A small winged fairy or angel figure is located above the lion with wings spread. A pink ribbon winds around the lion with the words 'We Move As One' written on it.
Four photo booth pictures of a man and woman, two with the man on the left and woman on the right, and two with the man and woman switched positions, all showing different facial expressions against a white background.
A hand-drawn sketch of a woman with medium-length hair and a child kneeling on one knee, holding her hand. To the right, there is handwritten text that reads: 'I wish I could remember you proposing to me. I wish that I had made the moment more memorable.'
Four young women at a party making funny faces, with two sticking out their tongues and two with their eyes closed, in front of a light-colored wall with a wooden door.
A white bear with a winged human figure riding on its back, holding a branch. A pink ribbon with the phrase 'One day soon we'll be together' floats above them. The background is dark blue with yellow dots.
A painting of a person dressed as a sailor, wearing a white sailor hat and a striped shirt, with a red neckerchief, light skin, blue eyes, and lipstick. The background is light gray, and there are some drawings and text at the bottom, including a skull and crossbones and an anchor with the words "Sailing" and "Nautical".
Black and white photo of a man with glasses and a young girl sitting outdoors among large plants. The man is lying back with a big smile, and the girl is smiling while sitting on his lap, with a paper hat on her head.
A collection of pencil sketches including two realistic cats with wings-like fur, two human faces showing expressive emotions, a skull outline, and a letter "I".
A portrait of a woman with blue eyes and mustache, wearing a turban, against a pink background. The woman’s upper body and arms are decorated with black line drawings of flowers, insects, and a landscape scene within a vase.
A painting depicting a woman flying over a blue sea at night with a moon in the sky, and a dark hill with a structure on top in the background.
Watercolor painting of a gray tabby cat sitting on a box with the words 'You Know I Love You' written on it.