Catherine Ryan is a Dublin based artist who studied glass design at the National College of Art and Design and has been creating paintings and collages since 2007. Her work evolved from a fusion of influences including painting, sculpture, street art and found objects. Various materials and colours illustrate the multi-layered quality of contemporary life. The primal medium of paint unifies these elements into a complex yet coherent whole. Items are glued, wired, nailed onto the flat surface of the canvas to further push the boundaries of painting and sculpture. This reflects Ryan’s philosophy of the possibilities of artforms when they are unshackled by categories or hierarchies.
Her abstract cityscapes celebrate cities as a culmination of human achievement and opportunity. They are also a record of the material culture of the 21st century, which has accelerated to the point of unsustainability. By incorporating elements that are considered waste materials, her work draws attention to environmental issues. The language of advertising also features, as fragmented reality dissects your field of vision as you walk through a city; a billboard here, a bus advertisement there. These fragments are reimagined in ideal cities, where there is space for everyone and for all colours to co-exist in productive harmony. The world is full of bright colours, textures and sounds and is in a constant state of flux. Its allure, power and beauty stem from its diversity.
Ryans’ work has been shown in venues throughout Ireland including the Royal Hibernian Academy, RUA RED Arts Centre and Limerick City Gallery of Art. Her work has also travelled to the United Kingdom, to France and to the USA, most recently in Jersey City in October 2020.
Self-taught or art school?
A bit of both perhaps? I finished 3 years of art school because 4 years was just too long! No regrets though; the influence of glass design still permeates my work, with bright colours separated by black or dark lines for example – like stained glass. I’ve also been told my drawing style has a similar “glassy” quality. I think every artist is self-taught as every individual artist has to develop their own voice and style.
Also, it took me years to realise that there are as many different artists as there are personality types. So I think life after or outside of the institutional context allows for these differences to develop more fully. Although a formal education develops certain skills, the life skills of applying for exhibitions, administrative work and all the other activities that are involved in getting work shown, are not taught in a formal context. So in that sense, it is a combination of being self-taught, learning and improving with each experience and applying any formal education to the current experience.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
At the moment it has to be Thorton Dial — Don’t Matter How Raggly the Flag, It Still Got to Tie Us Together. Described as the unifying power of a nation’s ideals, I am drawn to this piece both for its concept and material qualities. Flags and other symbols of nationalism act as powerful tools of allegiance to a particular mindset and set of coded values. By dismembering and reconstructing a representation of the American flag, Dial shows us the fragility of the concept of nationalism itself. This piece acknowledges the tensions within society, particularly one as populous and large as the United States of America. Made in 2003, this piece remains highly relevant in the tumultuous climate of the evolving States. All eyes are on the American election in 2020 so this piece resonates.
How would you describe your style?
My artistic style of abstract mixed media cityscapes could be described as expressionistic and cubist. Sometimes a bit of Art Nouveau creeps in. I love both grid formations and the fluidity of romantic shapes. My work is influenced by mostly 20th-century painters such as Mondrian, Pollock, Otto Dix in his use of playing cards and collage, any artist with a sense of humour really. My style is colourful, busy, fun, organised chaos, intricate, aerial view like a map of a city, highly textured with 2D and 3D additions to the canvas. Small pieces of mirror are a regular feature to include the viewer into the piece – making it interactive.
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
I work on several pieces at once. It helps to give them a breather, then I notice the parts that need more work. If I am working on very intricate and intense pieces, the next painting phase will morph into a larger, looser style so you could say that I paint by feeling. I don’t push beyond my concentration or energy levels, painting in 3 or 4-hour bursts works for me. I can’t reveal the entire process (!) but basically the items get attached during the painting process. I will have arranged the main composition beforehand. The best description of the painting process I ever heard was from a painter friend Walid Ayed – he said you know it’s starting to work when the painting starts talking back to you. You cannot know exactly what it will look like but you can have an overall feel/concept for the work before and during the process. A more in-depth description of my artistic process includes the journeys on which the items were discovered – exploring a new city, or my hometown, or the beach. I sometimes get donations of materials. These “found objects” are steeped in hot soapy/bleachy water in my Trash bucket. I buy chunky edge canvases because they are funky. I buy the odd-shaped ones in the bargain basket. Also breadboards and found wood, alternatives to canvases. All in the name of having fun with it. My new beach and driftwood pieces are a project in process, so my desk is full of colourful pieces of driftwood. These get washed just like the other materials, and dried in the hot press, then primed with primer and then painted. My absolute favourite new material is the glue gun – again this reminds me of glass and the glue is available in different colours including the glittered variety! So in a nutshell: Collect, Wash, Dry, Prime (if needed) and Paint!
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
I am currently working from home as it was no longer financially viable for me to pay rent for a space in Dublin city. My studio is in a spare room upstairs, with a front window that juts out and lets in plenty of sunlight. The road is quiet with children playing outside on the street. Not long after I set up my new space, it was FULL. I work best in busy, chaotic environments. But it is not chaotic to me – I know where everything is. For example, I have 2 sets of drawers to my left, one containing tools (hammer, nails, saw, glue gun etc) and the other containing larger plastic material items. All of my paints are in a big wooden box under my painting table. And in another Bag for Life are the bigger paint pots. Stepping into my studio it looks like I’ve boxed myself in – there’s a plugin heater behind my chair, literally cordoning off space with me and the desk. It’s what I’m used to and comfortable with – small cosy spaces.
Is narrative important within your work?
Yes in the sense that each piece tells a story. The titles are dictated by the content – sometimes you can literally pick out the title from the collaged items. The collected items that I find contain their own mysterious narratives before they become a part of my imagined cityscapes. So you’ve got narratives within a narrative; a microcosmic universe, to sound pretentious! The overall narrative of my work is that we are all connected, from ant to human to star and that each part of the puzzle feeds into the bigger picture.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
Grayson Perry – for his love of colour, drawing style, contemporary social concepts and that all-important sense of humour.
Friedensreich Hundertwasser – again for his explosive use of colour and his larger-scale projects on buildings. I would love to see more painted buildings.
Mondrian – I really appreciated him for Broadway Boogie Woogie – the title says it all, you can imaging looking down at the streetscape with the yellow New York taxis, the lights and bustle of the city. One of his busier works yet there is plenty of space left for the imagination.
What or who inspires your art?
Colour – this is by far the most important inspiration for my work. Each colour carries its own associations and symbolic meanings which don’t need to be dissected but felt and experienced. I don’t necessarily need to know their entire histories but instead use them in an instinctive, intuitive manner.
Cities – where humanity congregates and where wonderful things can happen. Each city has a personality of its own, which I try to tap into and collect from when visiting them.
People – the copywriters who invent the text which I manipulate in my cityscapes! Cartoon figurines and all manner of smiley face materials – the smile being a universal reminder of our shared humanity.
Do you have any studio rituals?
I always make a large mug of tea and turn the radio on.
I water the spider plants if needed.
I wear my painting clothes.
I make sure that I am not hungry!
What are you working on currently?
I am currently finishing a piece that expresses the ennui and anxiety of the lockdowns of 2020 to submit to exhibition. It is a small plywood readymade box with an open door frame and little sections inside. Each section deals with a certain activity, such as watching Netflix. Also, my new beach and driftwood pieces are a project in process, so the desk is full of colourful pieces of driftwood.
Where can we buy your art?
Through The Copperhouse Gallery, https://www.thecopperhousegallery.com/artists/65-catherine-ryan/works/
Limited Edition Prints only.
Originals from Saatchi: https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/909040
For other works, you can DM me on Instagram @catherineryanart
Blog is www.catherineryanart.com
