This painting was created using pastels and pastel pencils, working from Ray’s own reference photograph.

Ray spotted this perfectly placed VW Beetle parked outside London’s Seven Dials Market in November 2025 and knew straight away that it would become an artwork. Using his own photograph as the reference, and as with the rest of his Cars of London series, he retained colour only within the vehicle itself, allowing the Beetle to take centre stage against the monochrome city backdrop.

The Beetle may be what first catches your eye, but look a little deeper. The surrounding brickwork, cobbles, lighting and architectural details are the unsung heroes of the artwork. They are also the elements that demand the greatest amount of time and patience, but it is this attention to detail that makes the car truly pop from the scene and brings the whole composition to life.