Ryan Proulx is a painter and designer whose work merges classical oil painting techniques with the visual language of late 20th-century music culture. He holds a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design and a Master of Architecture from the University of British Columbia. Throughout his academic career, Ryan received multiple scholarships and awards in recognition of his artistic excellence.
His paintings draw on the color palettes and textures of 1980s and '90s music culture, using a refined process inspired by airbrushing and stencil work from that era. These influences are rooted in his background designing and constructing music stages and visual environments for the West Coast’s rave, rock, pop, and metal scenes in the early 2000s. The resulting compositions balance the energy and spectacle of live performance with a sense of meditative stillness and structural harmony.
After relocating to Calgary in 2013 with his wife, fellow artist Shea Proulx, and their two daughters, Ryan spent a decade running a successful home renovation business. His return to painting has reconnected him with the deep satisfaction of hands-on craftsmanship and material experimentation—bringing together his passion for building, design, and the creation of beautiful, meticulously constructed objects.