Ryan was born in1982, in Calgary, AB. He has a BFA from The Emily Carr University
and a Masters of Architecture from The University of British Columbia. His paintings
earned him scholarships and awards throughout his education. Using classic oil painting
techniques, they borrow their color palettes and textures from eclectic 80s and 90s
music with a process mimics that era’s air-brushing techniques and stenciling. His work
designing and building music stages and accompanying visual effects for the West
Coast rave, rock, pop and metal scenes of the 2000s continues to influence his
compositional strategy. His work balances the experience of dynamic event settings,
packed with electric light and movement, and the transcendent feelings of calm and
balance they also provoke. Ryan moved back to Calgary in 2013 with his two daughters
and wife, fellow artist, Shea Proulx. He ran a successful independent home renovation
company for a decade before returning to a focus on painting, where the joy he finds in
a laborious but worthwhile material process that continues to satisfy his desire to design
and build meticulously constructed, beautiful objects.