[Vanessa Ryan](https://www.cohart.com/u/vanessaryan) was born in Los Angeles, California. She is an abstract painter and sculptor and has exhibited her art on the West and East Coasts. She has lived in New Mexico and in the mountains of Southern California, so her work is influenced by the landscape of these areas. She currently resides in Long Beach, California. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA and a Master of Fine Arts from UCI.

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##### What emotions do you hope to evoke in viewers through your art?

I hope that people find joy and humor when they view my art. I’m an optimist and I always look on the happy side of things.

##### How do you document or archive your creative process? 

I photograph my work and I make art in specific series that then become a specific body of work.

##### What role does humor (or another emotion) play in your artwork, if any?

Humor plays a great deal in my art. A viewer once told me that whenever she looked at one of my paintings, she smiled. I used to be a standup comedian and I enjoy getting people to laugh.

##### How do you handle moments of doubt or insecurity about your work?

I keep painting. And the more I paint, the more I think of new ideas to try. 

##### How do you envision the future of your artistic practice evolving?

I used to make sculptures and I may start doing three-dimensional work. I also may do some work with non-traditional types of fabrics to make tapestries.

##### What’s the most unconventional material or technique you’ve experimented with in your art? 

I used to make fabric wall hangings and I used beads, recycled fabric and fake fur.

#### How do you decide when a piece is finished? What signals that to you?

Sometimes I know that it's finished, intuitively. Other times, I will revisit a piece even after I photographed it, and then I will photograph the new version.

##### How do you stay connected to your artistic community, and why is that important to you?

I subscribe to Artsy, and I look at artists on Instagram and converse with different artists online.


##### If you could change one thing about the art world, what would it be and why?

There are too many gatekeepers. We should go back to the French idea that there is a salon that artists can enter to become known. The Impressionists had that and so did the early abstract artists. And these shows were considered important. But today, juried shows receive no notice by the artworld. They’re often just a way for a gallery or institution to bring in money.

My workspace.jpg

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Vanessa Ryan’s art brings joy and humor, reflecting an optimistic spirit that embraces change, experiment, and connectivity.

Spotlight: The Optimistic Spirit in Vanessa Ryan’s Abstract Worlds

Vanessa Ryan's workspace

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