Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Mckee.
Hi Ryan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in 1981 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and raised there. For the last 16 years, however, I’ve been living in Dallas, TX. Growing up my mother had an appreciation for art and had lots of coffee table art books around. During idle moments I would flip through these and be amazed at the work of various artists although I had no clue how to do what they did. My mother had the desire to learn how to paint and even completed some good watercolor and oil paintings but with the responsibility of being a stay-at-home mom there was never enough time for her to develop the craft the way she would have liked; but due to her interest there were brushes and paint around for me to play with and so I did dabble… but all I accomplished was destroying brushes by not washing out the oil paint correctly.
I took a college oil painting course in 1999 that I basically flunked out of…I’m not really a school person and just got super bored painting sepia-colored spheres and squares. I don’t really learn things in a classroom setting… I have to just do it and figure it out as I go and that’s what I did. I made a lot of failed paintings that were garbage even by beginner standards. I would never say I had any natural ability whatsoever. To those who say I could never learn to paint I tell them of course you can… just like a roofer can learn to roof or a plumber can learn to do plumbing work. It’s a craft and if you learn the process and get some terrible paintings under your belt eventually it will start to make sense.
A lot of artists paint the same thing over and over doing slightly different versions of the same basic thing. That may work for them, but I approach every painting as completely stand-alone. I try to create environments you can daydream into and escape into even if it’s just for a moment. I’m inspired but lots of different artists but the ones that are in the foremost of my mind are John Brosio, Neo Rauch & Eric Joyner. I try to have fun with my art because if you can’t have fun then what’s the point.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a painter has its challenges for sure…You must make the time in life to learn the craft of painting first off. Then after learning how to paint, you need to find something to say with your art… that may be even harder. I spend a lot of time just thinking about and conceptualizing a painting long before I even start to paint it. Some paintings work out and some don’t, but I figure you’ll never get to the good ones if you don’t make some bad ones along the way here and there. I wish everything I did was total genius, but I would be lying if I said that was the case. The great paintings are just fraction of what most painters produce and I’m no different. One of the biggest obstacles for me is to stop comparing my work with other artists. I catch myself always wishing my paintings looked like another painter made them. If I could just get better maybe they would look like a great painter made them that has painting figured out. That day never comes though…they aways look like I made them. I’m more at peace with that now. I figure I will never be able to paint like Neo Rauch, but he does not paint like me either. That’s something inevitable about being an artist…Your style is your fingerprint, completely unique to you…there is no choice in the matter. A lot of artists give up because they hate their own work, the ones that get past this can get really good. That’s what I’m aspiring to do. Sometimes It seems like the deeper I get into painting the harder It gets but I guess that must be my own standards getting higher.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I try to craft oil paintings that are imaginative, as well as thought-provoking. I make my paintings on wood panels. These are a bit heavier than canvas, but they are archival and pretty much indestructible. When planning out my paintings I always have in mind making an environment you can step into and escape from reality in… even if it’s just momentarily. People have a lot of stress on them with day-to-day life and I like it when they can look at my paintings and see the humor in the human experience. I try to make every painting I do very high quality. I hope that they can hold their own hanging next to the best paintings by other artists in any art gallery. I also put a lot of consideration into the support they are on. I want them to be around for a long time.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
They can connect with me on Instagram @ryanmckeeartofficial or reach out to me through my website Ryanmckeeart.com I will also be exhibiting this year at The Other Art Fair in Dallas May 12-15th. I would be honored by anyone that would like to come see some of my paintings in person!
Contact Info:
- Email: ryanmckeeart@yahoo.com
- Website: www.ryanmckeeart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanmckeeartofficial/
Image Credits
Ryan Mckee
