Since 2011, Ryan has resided in Richmond, VA , and focused on wood carving art. According to Ryan, sculpting wood requires endurance, physicality and patience. Time, effort and precision are needed to shape a singular block of Eastern White Pine into a carving. There is no easy way to remove wood, so the refining process must be one in which the image is slowly shaped and molded. He believes carving is a physical reminder of what needs to be done internally. Surrounded by a flood of information, he continues to question what needs to be taken away and what stays. What is the deepest layer? Deciding depth, meaning whether to use big hits or 1,000-grit finishes, while creating the perception, is a process of evolution. Ryan believes in the consistency of effort, repetition and foundation-building to achieve goals. He feels rewarded in the finishing phase when a piece takes form. Ryan’s early pieces were finished with acrylic paint. He stylized with thick, black outlines and colors that completely covered the wood. His carvings started small and gradually grew in depth and detail. As his work evolved, he used subtler painting styles. He utilized layers of thin oil washes, on top of highly polished wood, allowing the grain to show through and give spontaneous and organic depth to the subject. During the COVID Pandemic, Ryan reworked the LOVE sign for the IX Art Park in Charlottesville, VA. The LOVE sign is an 8’ x 16’ outdoor sculpture that needed renovation. Ryan installed his wood carvings on the sign, some of which reflected surreal themes. His main art influences are the early 20th-century illustrators N.C. Wyeth and Maxfield Parrish. Ryan recreates many famous book illustrations to educate himself on layout, color, history and storytelling. Ryan continues to create and has sold over 50 carvings in the last decade. His work includes commissions, golf course and business signs, original work and gifts. Ryan is an independent woodcarver, who had displayed his work at Richmond, Charlottesville and Asheville art galleries. He is grateful for his loving family and friends.