Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

Ever since I became a contributor to Swide, I have had the pleasure to introduce some very talented fashion photographers and illustrators to the Swide readers.

Today, however, I want to switch the gear a little bit and introduce an abstract art artist to you. Ryan Rader is one of my favorite artists ever since I saw his solo exhibit at a Toronto art gallery. His biological form abstract arts are very surreal and inspiring. Swide readers, I hope you will enjoy what I am bringing to the table this week!

Once again, it’s my pleasure to interview you and this time, you are the first abstract art artist I feature on Swide! Please tell me, why are you attracted to biological forms and use them as the inspiration for your paintings?

I think I am attracted to biological forms both macro and micro because of their infinitely unique qualities. Nature provides so much to be inspired by and draw from. We are able to search for what we need and take various forms and textures as ingredients for a piece of artwork. The imagination takes these ingredients and stirs them up into wondrous pieces of art!

 I am not a big fan of the biological forms but because of your paintings, I may want to do some research on them in the future. So, if you need to use 3 adjectives to describe your works, what will they be? Why?

I would have to say surreal, this explains the metaphysical state of the environments and forms within. Sinuous helps describe the quality at which the forms move through out the picture. Lastly metamorphic, I am very fascinated by the process of transformation in the natural or even unnatural forms around us; it’ s so amazing that a form can change from one state into another often imperceptibly, taking on new structures, characteristics and textures.

 

 Surreal is probably one of the adjectives that will come up in my mind when looking at your paintings. At this moment, you do both paintings and black and white sketches, which one do you think is more challenging? Why? 

I have always worked with black and white by way of sketching because that is what I first picked up as way to express myself and remains as a tool for finished pieces as well as preliminary work for a painting. In the last 5 years I have worked very hard at learning the art of oil painting with hopes of illustrating my visions as clearly as in my black and white sketches. Which is more challenging? Currently I find oil painting more of a challenge because I am faced with the complexity of colour. Colour is subtle and sensual; it can bring so much to piece of art!

 I always find that youroil color works to be more interesting because I really enjoy your colour combinations! Recently, I notice you are trying to put human figures to your works, what made you want to do that?

I can’t give an exact or definite answer, all I can say is I am intrigued by how the human figure has and will interact with the environments I create.

 Well this is surely to be a new element in your works and I hope to see more human figures paintings form you in the future. Finally, if you think of Dolce & Gabbana, what kind of abstract atmosphere would you like to create for this brand?

If I were to create an atmosphere for Dolce & Gabbana I would imagine an environment that seems to mimic the style of the clothing and people that wear them. The environment would develop similar attributes from textures, colours and forms to attitudes and style. The clothing and people would be synonymous with their environment. I imagine Dolce & Gabbana’s world of fashion infused with my surreal forms and concepts.

Interview by Marcus Kan 

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For Marcus Kan's other interviews, click here. 

Credit: Ryan Rader

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