Ryan shines light on the industrial epicenter of our modern world.
Ryan believes there is much to learn from a country's industrial past. We can marvel at the great feats of engineering, but equally important is the collective skill, labour and ingenuity that brought them to life. These industries gave communities a shared sense of purpose, identity and pride, often in the face of considerable adversity.
As technology and design evolved, old methods were superseded and once-essential skills gradually became redundant. Yet the people, their knowledge and their contribution should not be forgotten.
This is what drives Ryan's work: an ambition to capture and preserve something of this industrial heritage, reminding people of the vital role the workforce played in shaping the modern world.
He has established a reputation as a contemporary painter of industrial and natural landscapes, exploring the relationship between the two and the points at which they intertwine. Through his work, he seeks to explore not only the changing landscape itself, but also the human stories, history and legacy embedded within it.