Ryan McKean
Artist Bio and Statement
I'm an artist from Mississauga and over the last several years I’ve been painting landscapes of places close to home, along our waterfront, in the Georgian Bay area and over to the Kawarthas. With the supplies I need in my backpack, I paint on site as much as possible to work on compositions, collect ideas, and develop an experience of the particular environment. Working en plein air creates several unique challenges: shifting light and colour; the diversity of composition; contending with the elements; all require a need for focus, selection and confidence in order to capture a motif in a short window of time.
While the sketches can be an end in themselves, they are often references for paintings created in the studio. Here I can take the time needed to refine various pictorial elements such as colour and composition, and work out any problems before starting a larger painting. Drawing studies, colour notes, and some photo references round out the materials used in the development of these larger works. What I appreciate with this approach is the freedom of expression with the outdoor sketch, balanced with the composed exploration of painting in the studio.
Without pushing for any particular look or “style”, what I hope to capture is a sense of immediacy and familiarity – the experience of time, atmosphere and place.
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