We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ryan Walters. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ryan below.

Ryan, appreciate you joining us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

I was working full time as a theater technician. I had the chance to work with all sorts of performances, music, theater, dance, and more. In 2020 I was working as the technical director for an internationally touring dance company.

When the pandemic began, I lost all prospects of work, and lost my sense of home on the road, and the family I had created with that company of creatives.

At that time I began to pursue painting more intentionally. I did so because it seemed I had no other options. It felt vital to challenge myself, and to devote myself to this path I hadn’t expected.

I had painted abstracts previously, but at this time I attempted to learn the basics of realism. Soon I was searching for ways to bring these two separate ideals onto the same canvas.

Now I try to create dreamscapes which might lull the viewer into a sense of unexpected reality.

Ryan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Currently I am a painter focusing on oil paints, and most often landscapes. The colors and conditions present in my recent work have aimed to inject a dreamlike quality into everyday scenes. There is an attention to detail which makes the image come to life, but there is a sense of oddness which keeps the viewers mind guessing.

I am enamoured with the reclamation of nature. We human beings have showed off our efforts as long as we’ve been here to do so. But as time rolls on, nature reclaims the land we have carved out for ourselves. These moments of intersection are fascinating to me.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I aim to make the viewer believe the unexpected, to make dreams tangible. There are world’s within us of fantastic color and expanse, and we simply need to step forward to be a part of it.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I believe most artists wish to share something from within. It is why we create. There is something inside of us searching for a way out. It may not feel natural to express it with words, but through an artistic practice we find ways to release the floodgates.

Contact Info:

• Website: ryanwalters.art
• Instagram: ryanwalters.art