untitled

I was commissioned to do this piece. Basically he wanted a Utah version of "My Destination"
This is on two separate canvas' but I worked on them as if it were a single large piece.
Splitting this up in this way (for me) gives the sky motion. It was also something Joe had in mind when he asked for it.

Chasing Sunsets

Chasing Sunsets and The Turtle

Clarity

I incorporated a poem into a piece and also used symbolism (via numbers) to tell a story yet allow for the ambiguity to work with the poem.

(For Sale)

State of detachment

I changed wanted to escape brush strokes for this piece and really incorporate my love for mixed media and the palette knife.

(For Sale)

A fragmented self

My destination

This is the 2nd part to a piece I did earlier titled my path.
Each one tells a story and each one works with the same balance of colors and use of my palette knife.


(On Display private collection Xiomara)

Untitled

Find the name for this piece on your own terms.


(for sale)

(On Display at the home of Torben and Marissa)

Courtship

I'm working on a series that involves more abstract and literal concepts with a lighter brush and a stripped palette.



(For Sale)

(Displayed at the home of Torben and Marissa)

My newest piece

I finally have found a comfort with my painting where I move paint the way I want with the style I want without having to "attempt". I can actually paint for the sake of painting and let the paint and the painting speak for themselves. This isn't meant to be any musician in particular and it's not meant to tell any specific story or exhibit any specific feeling it is what it is and shouldn't be confused as anything more or less than what it is for the individual.


(For Sale)

(Displayed at Soltice Gallery in Salt Lake City)

The Lonely Star and the Dark Blue Sky

Inspired by Torben, Marissa, and Leaf....

I hope to paint this sometime

The Star is alone in the Dark Blue Sky

All around him

Darkness...

Darkness...

All he can see is Darkness.

The Dark Blue Sky surrounds the Lonely Star

Radiant!

Fiery!

Alive!

And filled with warmth!

The Sky is comforted knowing the Star is there

But the Star doesn't see the same things

All the Star can see is Darkness.

Darkness...

Darkness...

Surrounded by the Dark Blue Sky the star yearns to see other stars

Unaware of the beauty in itself

Unaware of the beauty in the sky

Unaware...

An old memory

Senior year I lived in Michigan. We had a 3 legged cat named piper and she was the sweetest animal I've ever known. I came across this old sketch of her and it made me smile.

A return to the source

For me this is the only piece that I feel has been complete. Because of the scale it's more difficult to appreciate because at 9'9 by 5'9 it is meant to be seen and touched and smelled and experienced in person. Shrinking it down to less than 5 inches makes it appear jumbled and messy at first glance but once you key in on each part of it you can almost create a story out of it and perhaps enjoy my experience in Africa almost as much as I did. This is my visual journal of Dakar Senegal and I'm glad I got a chance to take part in this. I hope to go back soon.


(Displayed in private Collection of Andrea James. Dakar, Senegal)

a bit of dialogue

Listen to Autumn Leaves by Miles Davis while painting sometime. It will not disappoint.

My path

I finally stayed true to the palette knife and it's yielded some good things for me!


(For Sale)

(On display at the home of the Bernhard's)

A Study (part 2)

Look past the style of the image and also search for commentary on several basics of 2 dimensional visual arts including flatness and perspective.

(Displayed in the private collection of Annie)

A study

Two Musicians and two styles of playing.

I took this concept and a piece of cardboard and went to work.

I also used Marker, oil paint, and Tissue Paper in my first mixed media piece and it's changed the way I work on a piece now.


(displayed private collection Emerson Andrews)

Fast and Loose

The title refers to the dancer and the means with which this was painted.
This piece is also meant to change depending on the angle with which it is being viewed. I worked on it from each side so as to emphasize different perspectives that can only be seen by changing your own.


(Displayed in the private collection of Annie)

The things we leave and B.O.C

These two were both finished at the same time. In fact the light silverish blue from one piece were used on the other right after they had been brushed on one.
The things we leave was my first real attempt at action painting and something to evoke the emotions of my feelings the night before my trip to dakar.



B.O.C tells a story of a young jazz musician being inspired. Follow the music over the buildings and observe the clouds that are over the buildings in the background. I wouldn't usually point out hidden things but this picture is small and sometimes it's hard to see hidden messages when you aren't viewing the piece in real life.

(B.O.C is for sale)

(On Display at the Soltice Gallery in Salt Lake City)

The man in the bar

The chaos of the poolroom-bar setting and the steely control that is executed by the man in this setting. I had also been inspired by the movie The Hustler, starring Paul Newman and it really put this concept in my mind.


(Displayed Private Collection Clark and Lauren)

The fall of Cronus

The Division of the powers after Zeus and his brothers overthrew their father.


(Displayed Private Collection F.Castro)

Respiration

A Song and a Setting.
Listen to Respiration by Blackstar featuring Common and catch a good vibe with this piece.

(Displayed Private Collection James)

Monk's Dream

A man and his music. So often these things are so far removed from one another which is why so often people can dislike musicians personally but engage with them very strongly through their music.

As an artist I understand that the art is inevitable an extension of the self for so many of our lot and for many of us it's impossible to remove our minds and focus from our art.

Thelonious Monk is an artist of this caliber and he inspired me greatly. This isn't meant to be a portrait but merely an attempt to catch the man and his musical space on a very limited scale.

The kiss of the sky

Not quite a memory but not quite a dream. Somewhere between Salt Lake and Saint George I was leaning by the window and something about this image that was in my mind made me paint this. I may have seen a sunset or may have dreamed of one but when I got back home I went straight to work on this.


(Displayed Private Collection C.Gallegos)

Die Schwarze Oopla

Sometimes I allow for the accident to create some of my best results. With this piece I was unsatisfied with the colors and the overall way the piece looked so I painted over it in black to start over and try something else however when I looked at it again in the light the image was captured and it was captured in the exact way I wanted it. The thickness and depth and the dreamlike setting of the man backed in the room being watched by televisions. It was all there and there is something else to be found.



(Displayed Private Collection Jeff)

The pursuit

Man pursues.

Does he pursue the mountain or something greater than himself?

Does he pursue for himself or does he pursue to pursue?






(Displayed private collection M.Howard)

Dizzy

The man and his music. This picture however doesn't capture the brightness of the colors and the stark contrast between the two elements of this piece. I used streaks of bright colors on key points so that light effects the viewing of this piece drastically.


(Displayed Private Collection T.Bernhard & M.Bernhard)

The Dance

The name of this and the movement should be enough I think.

(Displayed Private Collection A. Creek)

Van Gogh Tribute

One of my greatest influences as an artist is Vincent Van Gogh. I also have a love for churches and temples. My former home in Salt Lake was only 3 blocks away from the Salt Lake Temple. The mountains are also something to behold. I felt obligated to try to pay homage to the man and the religiously inspired painting Starry Night. There is alot of varying thick applications of paint contrasted by smooth clean strokes. I placed a flower to bring more distance but also to represent the life that flourishes despite the emptiness of the dessert. When we are having rough times in life and we feel alone there's always something above us that we can look to for inspiration and hope.

-Ryan Daley

(Displayed Private Collection T. Bernhard & M. Bernhard)

The dream

An old self portrait of sorts. It's funny but only in Mrs.Berges's class would I have gotten away with doing this instead of the required color wheel that everybody else was doing. This picture is also a cliff note in my development because as a painter I would never have been this free without first being given permission to do so.

Gone Surfin

This is my own personal tribute to a day that took place between me and a group of friends. This piece tells that story almost the way a souvenir does for the person who went on that trip.

(Displayed Private Collection A. Daley)

Unamed

Basically I switched the colors of the sky and the ocean but the lines give the wave movement and the way the ocean and sky are seperated gives a great contrast of color.

The mouth of neptune

My 2nd oil painting and already I'm translating my passions in life to painting. I'm reflecting on this nearly 4 years after having painted it and it's wild that my passion that I have for surfing is now equal to my passion for painting and writing poetry. I obviously began my experimentation with warm and cool colors with this piece and I also want to note that the title is somewhat literal. You can create a literal face of the God of the sea's if you can find it. I recommend you start in the sky and work your way down.

(Displayed private collection S. Andrews)

Self Taught

Often when I am asked how I became an artist I say that I am largely self taught. I would like to however give due credit to a few individuals who have given insight and advise and also support throughout my artistic pursuits. My friend Bret Johnson is probably one of my favorite artists and also a teacher in a way. He was there for me during highschool always looking over my shoulder and telling me what worked and what didn't and he would encourage me whenever I was down during a piece. He also explained technical aspects of the effects of light and shadow and also means of color mixing and brush control. Gordon Dzierzon is also an artist who has helped me quite a bit. He often would often assist me with maintaining an original edge when we would be sketching or painting with eachother. He also reccommended different ways to treat a canvas and structure a piece before I work on it. I also had a teacher in high school named Mrs.Berges who is probably the main reason I have been able to work with the sort of experimental freedom I embrace. When other kids in class were doing a color wheel or a landscape I was given lisence to play around with a sketch I did of a wave or create a self portrait that wasn't conventional. She would give me books and tell me about different painters and style's and we would have discussions about what it means to be an artist and to appretiate art. These are a few of the key personal influences I have had artistically and in a way when I say self taught it doesn't mean people haven't taught me and given guidance it means I've chosen those people and chosen the means to carry through with those teachings.

My first painting

This is the first oil painting I ever did and it's definitly not perfect but I like it because it's original and also urban with alittle knowledge of light and it's effect on the face and clothes. The frame in particular is a great work of art but a picture doesn't capture the texture and process of custom fitting and taggint the frame to be suitable with the picture. In my mind the painting doesn't work without the frame.

-Ryan Daley