Meet Weldon Ryan!
Weldon Ryan in his studio with “Selfie in Red”, 2021, oil on canvas in progress
Why have you decided to become an artist?
Art is who I am. Every fiber of my body wants to create art. I’m driven to be an artist with every breath I take. I’m so compelled by visuals I see daily. I look at form light and color and analyze how I can interpret this through paint.
Was there a defining moment in your life when you knew you were an artist?
I knew I was an artist when everyone in grade school asked me to draw them something. Being one of the best artists in the 7th grade and finally understanding I had ability to translate a visual language I wanted to pursue more knowledge in art to be draw and paint.
What are your ideal conditions for working on your art?
I prefer to work in a controlled setting. I work on a 4x8x3 foot moving wall built to paint. I place canvas on two sides to allow storage and areas to work on multiple works. I work with music to energize me.
“Slayah”, 2020, oil on canvas
What’s your background?
I have an A.A. degree in General Illustration from The Fashion Institute of Technology. In the 80’s I said to myself knowledge is what I want and not a degree, so I bypassed the BA degree. I figured I want to be able to eat through my commercial illustrative success and not teach. So I took a class with Jack Faragasso at the Art Students League briefly to improve my painting/ illustration skills. I also took classes in drawing at FIT with comic book great Gene Colan to sharpen storyboard ability and paste-up art as well as marker comps and computer graphics before CGI took off. I pounded the pavement with “drops off’s” dropping my portfolio at major paperback books publishers. But I had a tough time getting jobs with covers. So I worked for the NYC Parks Department as an Urban Park Ranger. With my drawing skills I worked as a Detective doing forensic work for NYC Police Department while I pursued freelance. Strange as it seems, I did art every non art related job I landed outside of Illustration. I spent 20 yrs working civil service. Ten of those years were spent doing forensic drawings on computer and with graphite. Now I’m a fine artist with reduced stress. I curate shows with my wife, Richlin, at Bethune Cookman University Shoot Caribbean Carnivals and paint.
How do you feel about th eexpression “self taught”?
I went to The High School of Art and Design and was fortunate to have Max Ginsburg in my senior year as my painting teacher. It was a good introduction to painting oils. Class was too short to really take off. I tried painting in the morning before school started. It was voluntary. This morning session was affectionately called ”The old hats club”. I attended The Fashion Institute of Technology for my A.A. When I hear the phrase self-taught I pause because I believe every artist searches for knowledge for themselves to improve. This is self teaching. Bob Handville and Barbara Nessim; both my professors at F.I.T., always said artists constantly seek to improve their skills and knowledge just like doctors.
Are there any artists you’d like to study with from the past or present?
Studying with Frank J. Reilly would be a ideal as an artist from the past. His understanding of color, value and form is the foundation for today’s illustrators. I’ve studied with man great artists already.
What’s the most important or most memorable advice you’ve been given about your creation techniques?
The best advice I have been given as an artist was “Work is only as good as your reference”.
What research do you do when beginning a new piece?
I round up my son, wife and daughters to go to events to take pictures for my paintings. I set up and take photos that I find necessary images to assist me in doing the work. I find that it is important to be accurate in most paintings.
How has your work changed over time?
For years I’ve pursued painting realism. It’s been torturous. I became a slave to photographs. I realized that I had to become accepting of where I am with my skills. Once I became accepting, my skills improve in the realism realm. I paint what I see with an understanding that I also must rely on my knowledge of anatomy to gain understanding of what I see.
I consider myself a realism painter in a contemporary state of realism. Old school rules can be broken to achieve elements of the rules of art.
Weldon Ryan at work in his studio.
What themes do you find most interesting?
I love painting everyday life. I’m a historian who documents through my art. I particularly enjoy painting the West Indian Carnival celebration because it’s the best of both worlds. I paint costumes and the human form coupled with expressions and faces.
Who is your favorite artist?
I have many artist I favor for particular reasons. I love Boris because of his strength in his figures with regard to anatomy and his use of color contouring and sculpting the human form with fantasy art. I adore Leo and Diane Dillon and their pageantry and storytelling, John Singer Sergeant with his colors and brush stroke and Norman Rockwell as one of the greatest illustrator to ever lived.
“PO Smith”, 2018, oil on canvas
What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
I’ve done many jobs in my lifetime! I worked as a NYC Park Ranger doing nature centers with Murals. But most significantly, I was a police officer working in the one of toughest neighborhood in NYC. I was then appointed to the Forensic Art Unit because of my skill. I sit back since retired from NYPD and think, my art helped solve hundreds of homicides, robberies and rape cases.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
I’ve had people I’ve painted from my Caribbean Carnival series recognize themselves get in touch with me full of joy and excitement that they are in my paintings.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration from all sources. A person’s face or the way the wind blows a tree branch may inspire me. I find it from music or music videos or from a clever statement made from someone.
“Fences”, 2020, oil on canvas
What do you dislike most about the art world?
I find that the art world compares to professional sports. There are so many talented artists but only a minute few hit the big time.
Do the arts have a place in politics?
Art creates dialog and helps affect change in politics. Many years ago I read a book on subliminal seduction. Images create change.