The Drowners | Oil on Canvas by Ry An. This piece is 24” h x 36” w, and has been framed. Framing dimensions are 25.5” h x 37.5” w.
Delaware Tributary in Autumn | Oil on Recycled Shipping Panel by Ry An. This piece is 24.25” h x 37.25” w. This piece has a finished edge and does not require framing.
Kappa | Recycled paper, cardboard, wood scraps and string with acrylic paint & epoxy resin by Ry An. This piece is 23” h x 24” w x 23” d.
Artist Statement
My attempts to cope with a number of terrible experiences led me to create a series of allegorical oil paintings and recycled media compositions featuring vulnerable characters lost in a dark forest: - a blind horse, - a buttery with tattered wings, - a cat on re... The paintings have an implied narrative drawn from “a deep reservoir of assorted traumas”. They tie in with one another so that a story seems to unfold from one to the next. This is a story of consumption and abuse with “fun” & colorful terrors to replace the real world kind.
When interesting ideas appear in these paintings, I explore them in 3-dimensions with reprocessed junk-mail & other discarded media. By shining a strong light on a sculpture, I can better conceptualize how it should t in a painting: how the light should look, how the shadows should be cast... The paintings and sculptures inform each other in this way. I also “ground” the fanciful forest environment in a sense of reality by painting remote landscapes en plein air.
These serene, scenic places take on an ominous air while they dusk.
You will see it in paintings & in sculptures.