Ryan Jensen | Plein Air painter

Ryan Jensen, born in the San Francisco Bay Area, moved around a bit growing up.

But his earliest memories are of family and include his father, a painter, and his mother, a graphic designer, arched together over a drafting board in their in-home studio; or his father's paint-covered hands on the steering wheel as he drove his son to school.

On the mornings Ryan's father left early for work, there would be a sticky-note sketch on the kitchen table, usually a comical depiction that always made Ryan laugh. Jensen began to sketch as a child and never stopped.

Somewhere, "deep down", he knew he wanted to be a professional artist one day, but throughout adolescence and young adulthood there were many other things that captured his interest.

At age twenty-one, Jensen chose to pursue a career in the United States Marine Corps and subsequently served eight years.

With three, combat tours to both Iraq and Afghanistan, he gained crucial, life experiences that helped him "see the world through a different lens".

After Jensen was honorably discharged, he returned to school.

Majoring in Fine Arts, in a painting class, he began to work with color for the first time.

Jensen realized that his life-long, drawing background had set a great foundation for him as a painter.

But it was his "deep down" desire to paint, rooted in family life experiences, that surfaced in the remembered words of his father: words about the importance of warm and cool light and broad brushwork.

Now, the first things people notice about Ryan Jensen's paintings are the way he handles light and his brushwork.

When Ryan is not painting, he cherishes time with his family.

His passions include training, fishing, hunting, connecting with nature, and cooking on grill.

Jensen makes his home in Sunny Blue Lake, California.

L'arte ha circondato Ryan Jensen fin dalla nascita.

Sua madre, una graphic designer, lavorava nel suo studio di casa producendo copertine di riviste per software ed altre aziende nella Silicon Valley.

Suo padre, David Jensen, era un noto pittore ad olio californiano.

Ryan ricorda di essere stato accompagnato a scuola da suo padre che, con le mani coperte di vernice, indicava prospettive interessanti al suo giovane figlio.

Sebbene Ryan non fosse particolarmente interessato alla pittura a quel tempo, è ovvio che le lezioni di suo padre stavano diventando parte integrante e sarebbero riemerse quando, da adulto, avesse preso in mano i pennelli a tempo pieno.

L'unica costante della sua infanzia, tuttavia, è stata la matita.

"Disegnavo sempre, tutto il tempo. Non potevo farci niente. C'erano disegni su tutti i miei compiti e su tutto il resto".

Jensen porta con sé un piccolo quaderno da disegno per realizzare miniature compositive, ma preferisce immergersi prima nella tela.

"Mi fa pompare il sangue per saltarci dentro".

Si spinge oltre, lavorando su tele molto grandi, molte "60 x 40", tentando di completarle in circa tre ore, tutte en plein air.

"Mi separo il più possibile dal mio lavoro, concentrandomi su ciò che sto guardando.

Qualunque cosa accada, non lo cancello né lo cancello.

Cerco solo di avere il coraggio di lasciarlo stare e concentrarmi su ciò che sto guardando".