Born in Church Point, Louisiana Ryan grew up as the youngest of five children. He learned early on that there is a time and a place to speak and a time and a place to make his presence known. Spending his days in silent observation, he studied the world around him, and it was in that manner that he walked through his youth, a sleuth among the masses - observing people, places, and their interaction with one another. His eyes were always open, always watching and consuming that which thrived all around him, because of this he was able to capture aspects of life from all those around him and in this way, his art was born...

Years passed as he honed his craft, spending years toiling his work in various mediums. Through his time at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, he was able to rest among other artists and thriving in a world of his peers. Through his time there and the instruction of those superior and mediocre, he was able to learn more about the world he wanted to recreate in his art, and more about himself in turn. After years, he had finally learned what he had known all along, his art was to be found all around him, through the inspiration and observation of others - strangers, friends, and lovers alike. With this epiphany, he turned his attention away from other outlets and took to the canvas.

It is on the canvas, he recreates what he sees in the world around him. Not just the visual images that are portrayed, but also the emotional undercurrents that people are afraid to display. He captures loneliness, anger, lust, rage, frustration, disdain, and melancholy, to name a few, in his personas illustrated on the canvas. In the safety of environments he creates, his protagonists and antagonists can display their true selves, free from the constraints of morals and life's expectations. Through his years of silent surveillance, he has seen the expressions of these emotions and has swallowed them whole; taking those feelings consumed and unleashing them onto the canvas.

Inside each person, there dwells a monster, a beauty, a villain, a victim, a saint and a sinner, and he tells their tale in his images. If he were to tell your story - what would it be?


Biography written by Kari Schoeffler