MICHAEL RYAN

Michael Ryan

I choose to paint the way I do because I respect and honor the artists who hae led me on my path, as well as, my own intellectual and emotional response to the broad subject of landscape painting. My work is influenced by a great many painters including Matisse, Bonnard, Eardley, DeKooning, Diebenkorn, and Wolf Kahn. To connect the dots, all these painters had some things to offer me and, while i feel free to accept or reject any part of their methods or imagery, I find some commonality with all of them in certain ways. For example, composition-ally all painters are less concerned about proper rules and seem to be more concerned with building the composition to fit their own needs. My compositions are built with components much like you would use to create a quilt. Color is bold and color theories are more about emotional response than what is found in nature. I follow a certain set of rules on color that rely on colors from the opposite sides of the color wheel to come together. I believe that sets up a vibration between the color that makes it interesting. This causes the painting to generate their own energy and response through the color combinations presented. My brushwork is expressive and bold, clearly demonstrating the hand of the artist is present and and important part of the painting. The paint itself is thick and rich. This richness further emphasizes the hand of the artist. Many levels of color are present in each section of the work allowing both the colors on the surface and the lower layers to be present. The paint marks themselves often are made with several different colors mixing on the brush and canvas. May of the painting are moderately large in size often dominating a certain space to create its own atmosphere. My goal is simple, however. To create a harmonic and poetic visual experience.