On July 4th, Ray Gray is still learning how to be free after decades behind bars

For Raymond Felton Gray, freedom is about painting from dark to light.

The 70-year-old artist said not all parts of the canvas are equal. They must tell a story through contrasting colors, he said.

Freedom is a common metaphor in Gray's acrylic work after he was released last year from a Michigan prison following nearly five decades behind bars for a murder he and his supporters say he didn't commit. He was sentenced to life in prison shortly after his 21st birthday in 1973.

Gray is still overwhelmed trying to reweave himself into the fabric of society. He is philosophical about his experience as Independence Day arrives.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2022/07/04/july-4th-detroit-ray-gray-still-learning-how-free-after-decades-behind-bars-wrongfully-convicted/7751097001/