Artist Hideout

Featured Artist - Ryan Petrow

by William Lehman on November 10th, 2006

When I first saw Ryan Petrow’s art, the first thing that I noticed were the lines, the quietly urban settings, and the colors which seem to elegantly express the personality of the scene as more than just a setting, but a world of people who desire something beyond themselves.

The watercolor painting here “South on Meridian” is one of Ryan’s more populated renderings, with few horizontal lines and many more verticals that characterize Ryan’s style. On a more curious note, throughout the immediately recognized vertical lines, a clear sense of direction and purpose accompanies many of his pieces through the line of the street and the posture of the people. I find this significant in that Ryan Petrow shows extraordinary maturity as an artist in the development of his particular style.

According to Ryan’s website:

Ryan Petrow is currently studying visual communications at Herron School of Art and Design. He draws a never ending stream of inspiration from, as he puts it, “God…the Master Artist”. Ryan is also inspired by modern masters such as Mario Cooper, John T. Salminen, and Joseph Alleman. “I believe the continuous cycle of: inspiration, accomplishment, and growth is my purpose as an artist.”

My personal favorite of Ryan Petrow’s paintings is “North Street Alley” which depicts a seemingly dark and dreary part of this town but accomplishes this feeling without the melancholy that is usually represented. We see instead, a sense of solace and sorrow but with a distinct feel of waiting for the storm to pass (personal interpretation).

Jason, who knows Ryan personally and introduced me to Ryan’s work says this about him:

I’ve known Ryan now for a couple of years. He and I attend church together and he continually amazes me with his artistic vision for set designs, stage designs and special works that he’s done for a variety of services. It wasn’t until we were eating dinner with the Petrow’s one evening that I got a real eye-opening look at his amazing talent. Ryan shared with me a variety of pieces from sketch books, works in charcoal and full paintings and his vision for design and composition really came through his art.

I look forward to seeing a lot more of Ryan’s work and as soon as I have some money, will perhaps purchase a piece myself. I honestly see Ryan’s art as not just something that is pretty to hang on the wall though they are indeed that. This is a serious artist with wonderful vision and depth who captures a portion of himself in each work.

Many of Ryan Petrow’s pieces are for sale on his website at www.ryanpetrow.com

Tags: featured artist, artist, art, watercolor, painting, paint, color, design, illustration

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