Jay Ryan
I’ve squinted at the sun ever since I was a kid. I first remember ‘really’ painting at six, during Saturday morning classes at the Civic League in Framingham, Massachusetts. I don’t think I ever begged to go and I’m not sure whether I liked it or not. But, my guess is...I was changed from the experience; I’ve loved paint ever since. Yeah, I had coloring books as a kid...all kinds but I never colored like my friends. I always wanted to layer color on top of color on top of color...mixing two and three or four shades to make better, brighter greens...richer, more interesting browns. And deep, deep, dark purple shadows. It was art classes that got me through junior high and high school. I never knocked myself out studying math or science, but I read loads of books and filled more than a few sketch pads.
So, between then and now, I’ve discovered…
Watercolor allows for lots of ambiguity and I love ambiguity…and
Unusual visual composition, color, and shape inform my view of the day to day world and always have. Light and color always seem to assault my brain; I’ve squinted forever.
It’s sometimes tiring to process, so I use watercolor to simplify and organize and share my day to day visions. Within my simplified shapes and colors I look for texture, temperature, light and shadow that will contribute to paintings with a universal sense of narrative, relative calm, and nostalgia.
See Jay’s Full Biography & Artist’s Statement