Ryan Oehlschlager

Artist Bio

      Ryan started painting in his 20’s, encouraged by his father to pursue an outlet for his creativity. He became a serious painter in 1998. Largely self-taught, he studied painting at the Glassell School of Art, which is the teaching wing of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

Ryan prefers working in oil because of the high gloss qualities and slow drying time, which allows for corrections and changes to the piece. He works in two primary styles. When using a palette knife, he works in a fast-paced, energetic mode. In this style, his subjects are frequently older, notable buildings in Myrtle Beach and surrounds which are rapidly disappearing to redevelopment. He wants to convey a sense of history and transition and to capture the essence of local landmarks in his work. Ryan also uses a more fluid style, often painting en plein air. Using brushwork in an abstract realism style, he creates dreamy, luminous scenes with a sense of tranquilty. More recently, he has begun to dabble in surrealism. Ryan enjoys the variety of playing with different styles and experimenting with different perceptions of his subjects.