Those of you that attend our exhibits (or view them from afar) often probably know that I'm usually not one to expound or comment on the art in our gallery. It's just not my style. I'd like to think that the art we exhibit stands on it's own merits, without a need for explanation, and that is certainly true for Jay Ryan's work in this exhibit.
But I just can't help but to throw a small amount of extra praise at Jay for these paintings right now because, frankly, these works move me.
All painted in the first four and a half months of 2011, the works in Trouble are, to me, best understood in the context of the circumstances they were painted under...you see, Jay is a new father.
Recent disasters in New Zealand, Japan and the United States obvoiusly touched a nerve in Jay. The result is this exhibit of 17 paintings depicting not only disaster, panic and danger but also love, devotion and protection. I don't have children myself, but I find Jay's obvious love for his new daughter, juxtaposed against the horrific natural disasters that the titles hint at, to be inspirational.
Yes, a lot of the art we exhibit is beautiful, or created with exceptional skill. But I'd venture to say that, as a gallery focused on "modern pop" art, we don't always have works that are deeply emotional at their core. I'm glad to say that isn't always the case.
— Kirby Kerr, Gallery Director
