We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ryan Halsne a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ryan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I have been a freelance artist and graphic designer in Summit County, CO for over 8 years. I have been lucky enough to have affordable housing with reasonable space for a home studio. Many other local artists do not have this luxury. Seeing this as a huge hurdle for other creatives in my area, I felt the need for a maker’s space, or shared studio in our community. In 2020, I joined the Town of Silverthorne Art Board, as I shared many goals listed in the town’s Cultural Strategic Plan. Opening a maker’s space was one of our primary objectives as a committee. We made a proposal to the Silverthorne Town Council to convert an un-used, old fire station into studio space that artists would be able to rent long-term studios as well as utilize shared studios with varying membership plans. We received Town Council’s approval as well as a grant that would help fund the updates to the building and everything required to convert it to a new purpose. As a board we worked for over a year to plan out the space, survey the community for desired creative disciplines, and develop a membership structure with options for both long-term local artists, and curious travelers needing an activity on their trip through our mountain town. Silverthorne proudly opened the doors to the Art Spot Maker’s Space in May of 2023.
I was also lucky enough to be selected to paint the first interior mural inside the Art Spot. Since the building was originally a firehouse, the large open garage space was perfect for woodworking, ceramics, and other shared maker’s studios. It also came with a huge wall at the back of the space, where the roof lofted to its second story. This was the largest mural I had ever been commissioned for. Knowing what the space was going to be used for, I wanted to paint something that would inspire the artists hard at work below. Using spray paint, I created a mountain/lake/sky scene that features local landmarks. I developed a color wheel specific steps of paint so that I could create a transparency effect as a the sun beams across the entire painting; through columbine flowers, a soaring magpie, and an abstract, swirling goddess figure, holding the reservoir in her hand. I titled the mural “Calling the Muse” referring to the muse that all creatives must call to for inspiration.
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?
Drawing was one of my first passions. At least the one I stuck to the longest. I grew up in a creative family, with a brother who could also draw, our dad’s workshop that we could tinker in, and the full support of my parents to try anything that interested us. As a kid, I grew up skateboarding and snowboarding in Minnesota. I collected magazines, T-shirts, stickers, and all my old skateboard decks. Anything that had my favorite logos on it, ended up on my bedroom wall, or sketched into my school notebooks. My dad and grandfather taught me how to build with wood, which fostered my skate-ramp construction phase of my teenage years. My brother and I were always scheming with the neighborhood kids on ways to launch ourselves into the air or grind a longer rail. All of these features we built for skateboarding and snowboarding had to be painted of course. We were hand-cutting our own stencils and spray painting at a very early age. No vandalism I swear! We did have a pretty good looking backyard terrain park during the winter months, complete with a gas-powered tow rope.
By the time high school was coming to an end, and college was on the horizon, it was time to pick a major and figure out what I was good at, and what I liked to do. That’s when I discovered graphic design. I always knew I was fascinated with logos, and had already been creating my own T-shirts, and mock magazine covers. I took a computer art class where I learned how to use photoshop, sketchup, illustrator, and other design programs. I spent hours on the home desktop once I learned to translate my drawings to the screen, and completely transform my artwork. This led into an interest in photography, which was a helpful tool in the skateboarding and snowboarding style designs I was creating. Taking a photography class in high school got me into the dark room and taught me the value of film, and the more hands-on approach to creating a single image. Before fully understanding the difference between art and design, I chose the graphic design program at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities as the next path forward.
Once in college is when I started to realize the value of design, and was able to hone in on what kind of designer I wanted to be. I always enjoyed expressing myself through art, and knew I wanted to use those skills towards specific projects or problem solving. I enjoyed using all kinds of mediums from paint to wood carving to ceramics, as well as everything in the Adobe Suite. Illustrator became my favorite program as I still loved to play with logos and typography. Since I enjoyed so much variety, I knew the freelance route was right for me. I didn’t like the sound of being restrained to a corporation, designing within the same brand every day. I needed the freedom to pick and choose my projects to keep my crazy artist brain happy. So while still in college, I took an entrepreneurship class and learned some business basics.
To put the lessons to the test, myself and two other artist friends started an artist collaborative. At first, we were just messing around with some of the spray paint and stencil techniques we learned as kids. The more fun we had with it, the better our process got, and we started pumping out dozens of original spray painted canvases. Using my connections with the College of Design, I got a work study job in the laser-cutting lab in the Architecture building. Mostly used to build architecture models, I found these machines fascinating. I was quickly trained how to use them to be the attendant on staff in case a student needed help or was purchasing materials. Selfishly I got the job so that I could use them to expedite my stencil making process, which we were still hand-cutting with exacto knives. This opened up a new world of possibilities for my friend’s and I as we were continuing to collaborate on the weekends and after class. My Illustrator skills also improved as I was now creating the bulk of my artwork to be compatible with the laser-cutters. This allowed us to create more than just spray painted canvases, but T-shirts, posters, and stickers. We gave ourselves a name, a logo, started a website, and an Instagram page (right when Instagram was becoming a thing). We started selling our artwork online, as well as in coffee shops and local art shows. All good things must come to an end, as we all graduated and moved to different states. Though we learned as much from that collaborative experience as our college studies.
After I graduated with a graphic design degree, I moved to a small mountain town in Colorado. I had visited Summit County several times for ski trips, and always thought I might fit in well where people looked forward to snowfall. Following my passion for snowboarding and the outdoors, I figured I’d try out my graphic design skills in a smaller town, as opposed to the city I moved from. The first thing I thought would be fun to design, was beer labels. Having worked in bars and restaurants all my life, the labels and logos on beer and wine always intrigued me. I enjoyed the process of shopping in the liquor store, scanning the fridges full of artwork, picking out the one I thought was the coolest. I identified several artists behind some of these brands, and thought, I want that job. I got hired as a server at the Dillon Dam Brewery, where I quickly mentioned that their beer labels and merchandise needed a facelift, and I could help. I started doing their labels for bottles and cans, as well as graphics for T-shirts and hats. The longer I lived in the area, and made connections with other locals, more design and art opportunities started to fall in my lap.
In 2018, I got my first commission to paint a mural at the new brewery in town, Angry James Brewery. As a brand new building, there was a lot of wall space to work with. We chose a 20′ x 8′ wall where I planned to paint with acrylic paints while atop scaffolding. I got to work on my concept with a lot of input from the owner. I came up with a fully-rendered and to-scale drawing of what would sum up Summit County culture. Featuring all the mountain ranges and landmarks of the area, skiers, snowboarders, bikers, fisherman, rock climbers, and more. Using multiple perspective points, and notable features of the new brewery, my goal was to collage the essence of the community across the wall. Using a grid system, I was able to translate my sketch to the wall, marking out my first layers of background. In the early hours of each day, we assembled scaffolding, and I worked away, mixing my colors as I went, trying to get in as much detail before the brewery opened to the public. Being my first mural, and one of my first acrylic paintings, I had to work hard and learn on the job. The brewery’s owner and I are very proud of the final result, and what this mural has provided me as far as recognition and future design work.
With the success of the Angry James mural, I continued to offer my design services to the brewery. Being a new establishment, they didn’t have much to their brand other than a logo. I started with designing a few T-shirts and event posters. As soon as the brewery started canning their beer, I jumped on the label artwork, being my favorite type of project. Now that it’s been over five years after finishing the mural, I have designed over 30 different beer labels for Angry James. This small neighborhood brewery has become a showcase of my artwork and designs, that I am often standing in front of serving beer. This has provided me with a great networking opportunity and a chance to grow my freelance business.
I have been lucky to paint three other murals in town, design several logos for local businesses, design band posters, do live spray-painting, and participate in art markets. I have been on the Town of Silverthorne Art Board for the last 3+ years and have been involved in many art initiatives such as the opening of the Art Spot Maker’s Space. Most recently I have rekindled my love for laser-cutting by adding a home-office sized Glowforge Laser Printer to my studio. Beyond making stencils for painting, I have been creating new kinds of art by cutting and engraving different types of wood and acrylic. I have been successfully selling my laser-cut art at local shops and regular art markets. I have even been commissioned to create name tags for businesses, and even award plaques for the Breck Film Festival. It’s a very fun and unique tool, and I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Whether it’s attending a local play, buying concert tickets, or purchasing artwork from your local coffee shop, support the arts anyway you can! As individuals, we can buy our Christmas gifts at a local art market, instead of Amazon. We can all strive to spend more time creating. Whether that’s going to a wine & paint night, or doing crafts with your kids. Human-beings are naturally creative, and we all have that spirit inside us. I too often hear “Oh, I can’t draw” or “I don’t have a creative bone in my body!”. To that I say “Yes, you do!”. Creativity isn’t just skills with a paint brush. It can also be an ability to to spend your money more efficiently as a business owner, or navigating the complexities of legislature, or coming up with a hypothesis in a lab. Creativity is what our brains are good at and should never be discouraged, especially by yourself.
On a larger scale, just providing opportunities for artists to do their thing. Shared maker’s spaces are a great thing for artists to use when they’re first getting their start, and might not have the resources. Not only do they act as an incubator for a budding artist, they are a great place for collaboration and learning from others. Provide opportunities for public art! I’ve been lucky to live in an area where calls for art are posted either by the town or local businesses. Giving people the chance to showcase their work in a public space but also creating a vibrant culture that fosters inspiration. I think of walking the streets of Florence, Italy, surrounded by works of great Renaissance artists; from Donatello and Brunelleschi, to Da Vinci and Michelangelo. How was one city able to develop generations of creative brilliance? Firstly it became a valuable trade, with benefactors like the Catholic Church and the Medici family. You also had friendly (sometimes unfriendly) competition amongst the different mentor’s studios. There was also a new humanist way of thinking about the world, god, beauty, and how each person can honor those things. For creative ecosystem to thrive you need a healthy philosophy, competition that you artists can learn from, and opportunities for artists to make a living.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
One book that I need to re-read every few years is ‘The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles’ by Steven Pressfield. As a writer, he identified the hurdle of sitting down at the writing desk, or the difficulty of starting a creative task as “Resistance”. Any creative professional knows this feeling. It can be difficult find the flow, or even start the process. If I find myself tinkering around the house, cleaning dishes, or organizing my studio, when I know I should be working on a new project, I have to remind myself, “Oh, that’s the resistance talking”. This is a very inspirational read that will help any creative fight through the resistance, and just do the work, whether the muse makes an appearance or not.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ryanhalsne.art
- Instagram: ry.halsne
- Youtube: @ryanhalsne8418
Image Credits
Summit Daily Newspaper for the ‘Artist Rendering’ article photo. Angry James Brewery Instagram Shane Morris for the workshop photos.