Ryan Kapp

Region: Midwest

In my paintings I focus on specific elements of a scene--a tree; houses; a lone skateboarder; an approaching shark--to create a shorthand sensation of an environment. My sources are personal photographs and found imagery that I synthesize through a mixture of rendered detail and reductive representational styles. I employ stylistic contrasts to add contemporary visual cues and surprises to more traditional subject matter. Combining distinct painting techniques is becoming increasingly interesting for me, much like a musician incorporating various instruments within a song. These visual relationships result in an abstract visceral experience for the viewer that complements the representational subject matter and illuminates my passion for playful and subtle juxtaposition.

In my work, as in my life, I seek a balance between intention and improvisation. I use color not only as a formal tool, but also for its compelling emotive potential. I find inspiration in the quirky and random details of life, nature, music, fellow artists, modernism, graphic design and skateboard culture. Where these passions collide, purposefully or coincidentally, shards of commonality can be gathered and reconstituted to express a particular mood and to share exciting discoveries.