BIOGRAPHY

Born in Colchester in 1975, Ryan is a portrait and figurative artist based in Brighton.

Working in oil paints, his work explores human emotion and the complexities of identity and he seeks to build emotional connections through expressive brushwork, aiming to reveal both his own truths and those of the viewer.

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His most recent work explores the relationship between romance and death, examining how attraction and mortality can become closely intertwined.

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Ryan is a huge fan of horror movies, something he thinks has shaped how he looks at the world, as well as his visual language, so it is no coincidence that his most recent series ‘Blood is the Life’ takes inspiration from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. He was particularly interested in the way gothic narratives present love as something that exists alongside danger, transformation, and loss. These ideas encouraged him to confront his own response to themes such as blood and death, not only as sources of fear but also as symbols that carry emotional and psychological meaning.

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Ryan studied Art and Design at University College Suffolk (BA Hons) after which he began a career in entertainment publicity. In 2019, after almost 20 years away from his creative side, he picked up a brush and hasn’t looked back, exhibiting in a number of galleries in Brighton and gaining more recognition for his unique style.

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He works in his studio conveniently placed in the back garden, usually with his dog Daisy snoozing nearby.

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ARTIST STATEMENT

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My paintings always begin with a feeling and a want to express that feeling through a figurative form.

It’s very important to me that I use my mental health journey in my work to connect with myself and to connect with the viewer. I want people to see my work and understand something about themselves as well as me.

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I work with oil paint, but my paintings often start by creating an image from a models pose that I think conveys the emotional impact that I want. Sometimes I start with a pencil sketch directly onto my canvas or I’ll draw an image with a brush that I’ve designed in Photoshop. I use photoshop almost like a sketchbook to create something that feels right and it helps me visualise how it could look but I ultimately always let my brush do its own thing and it’s in that slight deviation that I find comfort in the process.

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My work always conveys emotion without being literal and invites the viewer to interpret it in their own way and to hold space.