On Friday 25th Febrary, 2011, I was absolutely blessed to have had the oppurtunity to attend a talk with Rob Ryan in the Univeristy lecture hall- undoubtedly one of my all-time favourite artists, Rob's work is full of life, optimism and soulful sentiment- crafted beautifully and with great patience, he is someone whom I greatly admire.
Sitting in the lecture theatre with friend Claudia, I can honestly say that we both felt a little star-struck at the experience (something quite new to me!), and honoured to be in his presence as he announced that he only gave around one lecture a year due to shyness- certainly a once-in-a-lifetime-experience for us both!
I found out a lot about Rob Ryan's life, his work, and his inspirations, which, in turn, have inspired me.
Graduating from a fine art masters degree (after seven years studying the subject), he progressed in the typical fine art style- finding a niche which suited him, at this time, screenprinting, and rented a studio to create work to exhibit at gallery shows. Despite persuing this career ambition for over fifteen years, he was unsatisfied, and his work soon directed to a more commercial sale- developed from his love of bringing fine art "to the masses".
Since this time, Rob's work has become infinitely popular- collaborating with artists and designers such as Paul Smith, Clothkits, and various authors (creating illustrations and book jackets), including poet Carol Ann Duffy, as well as now owning his own shop 'RyanTown' (126 Colombia Rd, LDN.)
A truly brilliant experience, I feel honoured to have been in his presence!
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