We recently connected with Kristin Ryan and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kristin, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
In July of 2022, I had been creating beautiful works of art to fill the walls of my home for five years. I had sold one piece to a friend and I was teaching art to K-6th graders at a public elementary school. My plan was to keep teaching art for 8 more years and maybe sell a piece or two each year to friends and family.
That was when the past came calling and inadvertently introduced me to my future!
An old acquaintance I hadn’t seen in 30 years was in town and asked if we could meet someplace. He informed me he was traveling with a friend. I invited them to my home for dinner.
When they pulled up, my old friend hopped out and we warmly embraced and laughed about how 30 years seemed like no time at all! I rounded the back of his truck to welcome his friend and was a bit startled to find an older man clad in motorcycle gang attire. .
I stuck out my hand and said, “Hi, I’m Kristin.”
He took my hand and replied, “Hit Man, nice to meet you.”
While still shaking hands, I inquired, “What’s your real name?”
He responded, “Everybody calls me Hit Man.”
I dropped his hand and said, “Nobody named Hit Man is coming in my home. What’s your real name?”
His shoulders slumped a bit, he looked down and he said, “Gary.”
The evening was the type that leaves you emotionally fulfilled (although exhausted because we stayed up into the wee hours!)
Gary was my friend’s AA sponsor and amends were made. We laughed and we cried and as the hours went by the gang paraphernalia was removed. First, the headband, then the colors, finally the vest until Gary was just a guy in shorts and a white t-shirt. When it came time to cook the ribeyes, I realized I had no gas in the grill. I was in the process of remodeling a room to be my art studio and so I asked Gary to remove an easel while my friend and I went to get propane. He cheerfully agreed.
As my friend and I drove to get the propane, he filled me in on Gary’s life (it is too much to relay here, however, it is the stuff of great drama movies.)
The outline is that he was rendered homeless on the mean streets of St. Louis, Missouri at age 9. He survived 2 years completely alone with a number of traumatic experiences which would break most of us. At age 11, the 1% Motorcycle Club took him in and under their wings. They became his family (a blessing and a curse). He became addicted to drugs and alcohol and he committed crimes with the gang and did time in prison. He chose to change his path and became clean and sober. He went on to change the lives of MANY others, dedicating himself to serving the homeless, downtrodden and addicted. The individual deeds are countless. He served as President of the 1% Club and guided them into community service.
After dinner, Gary asked if we could walk around so he could ask me questions about the art in my home. My walls are filled with my children’s art from childhood and adulthood, pieces I have purchased and my own art. I was fascinated at the interest Gary had in each piece. He asked incredible questions and I allowed him to take photographs (I think he took a picture of every piece). As we walked around the house, I shared that I was invited to submit to a jury for a small art show in Scottsdale and I had been accepted and was considering it. I also shared a long term vision of having shows in my home. Gary was absolutely certain that I was going to be a huge success as an artist and that I should go forward with the show in February and get better lighting so I could do shows in my house. The praise felt amazing, but I didn’t feel the confidence he felt.
Gary and my friend left and I did not think I would ever talk to Gary again. I was wrong….thankfully!
In January of 2023, (6 months after meeting him) Gary contacted me because he wanted to talk about my art. He said he couldn’t get this 1 certain piece off his mind.
He said, “It is the piece with the warrior and his woman.”
I asked puzzled, “What? I don’t know what you are talking about!”
He sent me a photo of the piece and I laughed!! It was a piece I accidentally created when I was messing around with mark making. I told him I had never titled it, but now it was to be called, “The Warrior” and I thanked him for naming it. He asked if I felt ready for my upcoming show and assured me that it was going to be a great success! He made me promise to call him afterwards.
When we hung up from that first phone call, I put a print of the newly named “Warrior” in the mail to Gary (I got his address on the sly from my friend). He was absolutely surprised, thrilled and honored when he received the piece.
What followed was a two year friendship where Gary started referring to himself as “my number one fan” and so I started calling him that too. He gave his opinion on everything I did from my art to my website and my marketing materials. He also bought three original art pieces from me. During this time, I participated in showing my work several times, I had two shows in my home and completed several commissioned works. Gary was with me through it all. In August of 2024, I decided that the 2024-2025 school year would be my last. I was ready to pursue art full time. I would retire at 62 not 65! Gary thought I was making the right decision.
Sadly, on February 8th, 2025, I received a text from the friend who introduced me to Gary, informing me that Gary had passed away.
He went on to say, “BTW, your artwork was prominently placed on the table of photographs at the funeral, as his daughter loves your paintings as well. I tried to get a photo for you, but the table was always blocked by so many people I couldn’t get a shot.”
I burst into tears and sobbed for a very long time. I texted my friend and asked for Gary’s daughter’s phone number. When I texted her my condolences, she told me that all my work now hangs in her daughter’s bedroom as a way for her to remember “Grandpa.”
THAT was the minute my decision to become a full time professional artist was cemented. I had never thought of my art as a family treasure to be passed down and cherished. It changed everything!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I was a grubby Southern California kid raised outdoors 1 block from a beautiful bay. I loved sports first and drawing as much as any other kid. I had every animal I could get my hands on at one time or another. I came from a loving, caring and competitive family who loved to tease each other.
When I was in 4th grade, an artist attended our girl scout meeting to teach us acrylic painting. As I was painting, she came up behind me and said, “Remember, the sky is all around you!!” I knew she was trying to tell me something, but I didn’t know what it was! I proceeded to paint my entire background blue. Everyone laughed at the painting which became lovingly known as the “Swimming Lions.” I decided that being a good athlete was enough for me and gave up art entirely.
I tried painting again on Thanksgiving Day of 2017 at age 54!
We went camping at Joshua Tree National Park. On a whim, I decided to take paints and canvases on the trip. Four of us sat outside and painted plein air for 90 minutes and nobody spoke. I nearly jumped out of my skin when the first person spoke! I was hooked!! The only other activity that has ever absorbed me so completely is scuba diving.
I started painting acrylic landscapes, but was quickly introduced to reductive pastel at a 3 day art workshop in Oregon with the artist Carrie Moore. I love using my hands rather than paint brushes and have been primarily a pastel artist ever since. I am an avid mountain biker and hiker, so I am frequently stopped in my tracks (literally) because of the beauty surrounding me. I can’t wait to present the scene in some artistic fashion! I take the reference photographs for 95% of my pieces.
I love to work presenting light and shadow in the desert or other landscapes. When I book a commission, I meet with the client and either get the reference photo they provide me or help them articulate what they are looking for. I can have as little direction as, “Some hummingbirds and flowers,” or a photo with discussion of detail and color.
Art shows are something I am absolutely loving! I love the energy! Meeting so many art enthusiasts, collectors and artists in a 2-3 day period is so motivating!!
I am in my last month of my teaching career and really looking forward to devoting myself to a daily schedule as a professional artist. It has been difficult to create as many pieces as I want to when the majority of my energy is spent in the classroom.
I want my art to be accessible to all, so I am looking forward to managing my social media and website to increase the number of pieces available in print and on merchandise. My art business has been designated as a “Trusted Art Seller” with The Art Storefronts Organization, which means you can shop with confidence, and know that I stand behind the quality and value of my products.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
After painting the famous Swimming Lions painting at age 10, I truly believed in my heart and soul that I was a lousy artist and incapable of creating art. When I was teaching science to 4th graders, I used to say, “I am a terrible artist” as I was drawing a diagram of a flower, cell or other teaching concept. I only tried art again at age 54 because I started teaching at a school with a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, ART and Math) curriculum and I didn’t want to be a fraud in front of the students.
For the first few years, every time I would create a beautiful work I kept thinking I just “got lucky.” Then I started thinking, “Nobody is this lucky. I must have some talent and an eye for these compositions.” In reality, it took me about 5 years to say and BELIEVE, “I am an artist.”
I hear the sentence, “I am a terrible artist” from many people at every show I attend. I offer this suggestion, look at things in your life that do not seem to be art, for instance, your yard, how you set a dinner table, the furniture in each room of your home and how you dress. Many of those things are clues that you do indeed have artistic abilities, but you just need to get dirty with some medium and try, try, try. Enjoy the process and you may surprise yourself!
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Tony Robbins has been around for 40 years, but I just found him recently. Unleash The Power Within is on Audible and has truly helped me understand how my old limiting beliefs can hold me back. It has taught me techniques to stay in a positive state even at the worst of times. It is teaching me how to succeed and persevere in all areas of my life and the importance of creating my own future. I think it is the most powerful tool any individual can purchase, self employed or not. It has truly been an amazing cornerstone for succeeding in my art sales.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.swimminglionsafineartstudio.com/
- Instagram: @swimminglionsafineartstudio
- Facebook: Swimming Lions, A Fine Art Studio
