Nancy Ryan

I’m not exactly sure what it is that compels me to create or why I am drawn to certain subjects. Natural forms appeal to me for their element of surprise. Branches and roots lead the viewer through a series of twists and turns like one’s ramble through life. They may end gradually or abruptly. One never knows which it will be.

No matter what medium I choose to work in, drawing is always at the core. It serves as an extraction process, attempting to pull out the true meaning and relevance of the subject in hopes of leaving behind the extraneous and the obvious. If the drawing tells us what we already know it will leave us cold.

I think it’s important to be inquisitive and humble. When approaching a subject I try to cast aside any preconceived ideas about it, remaining open to what it has to teach me. A work of art lives it’s own life. You can’t tell it what to be. You have to ask it what it is.