A master of painting and the intaglio, Rayo is a geometrical-optical artist. He has participated in more than 200 individual and collective shows in Spain, Norway, Peru, Brazil, Italy, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador, Cuba, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Costa Rica, France, Japan and the United States. He may be the only Columbian artist to have exhibited in places as far as Christchurch, New Zealand.

Born in 1928 in Roldanillo, Columbia, he began his artistic career in 1947 as an illustrator for newspapers and magazines of Santafe de Bogotá.

From 1948 to 1954, he exhibited his work several times in Santafé de Bogotá and other Columbian cities. He then embarked on an extensive four year journey throughout Latin America to study art. In 1959 he was awarded a grant from the OEA to work in Mexico, where he resided for one year. The following year he received a Guggenheim grant and transferred to New York, which was his residence until 1986.

In 1981 he established the Museo Rayo de Dibujo y Grabado Latinoamericano in Roldanillo, Columbia, and in 1983 inaugurated the project "Arte Vial" with international artists.

In 1995 he directed the "Arte Vial" project with Columbian artists during the summit of non-aligned countries in Columbia.

In 1996 he installed a metal sculpture measuring 8 meters in the city of Cali, Columbia and the following year, a metal sculpture measuring 6 meters in Sevilla, Spain.

He has received many awards and recognitions including the Order of Boyacá as Gran Oficial in 1994, the International Prize at the Sao Paolo Biennial in 1972, the Premio Especial de Grabado in the Second Inter American Biennial of Mexico, the Philadelphia Art Museum Award, Honorable Mention in the first Biennial of Quito, Acquisition Prize of the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences, Special Prize at the first Bienal de Grabado Latinoamericano de San Juan de Puerto Rico, among others.