- During the 90s, Rey was blacklisted by many British paleontologists for his brash and colorful depiction of dinosaurs, which many people argued were more speculative and fanciful than scientific. By the 2010s, the field of paleontology and the understanding of dinosaurs has progressed so much that Rey considers his older artwork to be rather conservative compared to modern-day pieces.
- Was consulted for BBC's famous documentary Walking with Dinosaurs (1999), during which he explained that the small predatory dinosaur Ornitholestes would have been covered in feathers in life. Despite this, the animal was depicted as scaly in the program, and Rey was unimpressed with the show's unscientific nature overall, regretting taking part in its production.
- One of the world's leading paleoartists. He always sticks to the latest scientific findings and theories, and refuses to accept work that asks for outdated dinosaur reconstructions (such as a featherless Velociraptor).
- Rey is famous for his paleoart that depicts dinosaurs and other ancient animals in unusual but still scientific ways, as well as for his reliance on digital image manipulation. He gives many of his dinosaurs wattles or inflatable skin sacs, in order to make people think of them as interesting bird-like animals rather than frightening, reptilian monsters. For instance, his late 90s depiction of the raptor Deinonychus was notorious for presenting the animal as an ugly, turkey or condor-like creature with wrinkly, saggy skin on its neck and head. Rey dislikes drawing backgrounds, so he often places his reconstructed animals into photographed environments, which are often ran through Photoshop filters to look like paintings.
- In the book 'Dinosaur Art: The World's Greatest Paleoart', he recounted a childhood tale in which he got into an argument with one of his teachers who dismissed the theory of evolution. The incident landed him in the principal's office.
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