Susan Ryan - Guerneville

After graduating from Art Center College of Design in 1971, I worked as a

freelance illustrator, collaborating with agencies in SF, LA, NYC, Seattle, and

Chicago. In 1980 I began to shift my focus from commercial art to oil painting and

paper mache sculpture. In the succeeding years I completed numerous private

commissions, and exhibited my work in galleries throughout Southern California.

In 1989, I began selling my art through the East Coast trade shows, which

led to a move to Western New York.

For several years, I sold my small wooden sculptures to galleries and catalogues nationwide, until cheaper foreign products began to flood the market. I reluctantly left that business and, unexpectedly, became a dog trainer. Strangely enough, my artistic background proved beneficialto understanding dog behavior and training. I spent 11 years happily playing with dogs before I returned to making art. In 2010, a former ACCD classmate contacted me.

He confessed that he had been madly in love with me at Art Center. I

confessed to not remembering him. Nonetheless, I eventually moved to

Guerneville, where we bought a 100-year-old fixer-upper. I returned to making

art. My oil paintings are vibrant and orderly, and reflect my years as an

illustrator in the advertising business.

My paper mache sculptures-mostly animals-are more playful. My dog sculptures, especially, seem to resonate with people. Ithink this has to do with my years as a dog trainer, giving me a special talent for conveying the essential “dogginess” of a dog. I share our home with Mike, a still-working illustrator, and Edward, our beloved dachshund. We have lived in this little community for 12 years. We love it. My art is represented by the Oli Gallery in Guerneville.