Christian Ryan

New Work

2011-12-30T13:59:00.000Z

These are the shots of the work completed…

The Making of New Windows

2011-12-30T13:40:00.003Z

These photos show the making of a new project that was completed just before Christmas. They show the process from design to cartoon, rough charcoal to ink, then processing the glass to leading…

1985 Argos Catalogue

2011-10-15T20:25:00.000+01:00

I came across the 1985 Argos Catalogue, via Retro Thing, that someone has scanned and put on flicker.

Well…what are you supposed to do when Strictly and X Factor are on?

Pumpkins In The Garden

2011-10-09T19:35:00.000+01:00

Come On Wales!

2011-10-08T10:34:00.000+01:00

Iolo made and sent this card to Peter when he was in hospital, I thought it was an apt image for this morning's win…

Autumn Panels

2011-10-07T14:41:00.003+01:00

These are some small panels I've been making. I've been working on the pieces of glass, painting them and moving them around. They've been fired so I've just been creating the final compositions before leading them up…

Unfinished Collage

2011-10-06T17:54:00.002+01:00

I came across these photos of two large collages I was working on nearly a year ago but never finished them…damn!

Cider Making

2011-10-05T16:21:00.000+01:00

My good friend Simon mentioned that he was going to try and make some cider with the apples from the tree in his garden. He said something about a car jack and some bits of wood so I had to go around and take a look at what he was up to. Hopefully I'll be involved in the tasting…

New Stained Glass Work

2011-09-27T08:58:00.000+01:00

I'm just in the middle of making some new panels for a commission. As usual it's quite colourful and I've just finished cutting the glass. All the colours will be etched to give them a texture so I can apply a matt of paint before firing. I always find it amazing how the raw, harsh colours of the glass get tamed by the paint, softening them on the eye. At this stage you have to really have to visualise how the glass will look after processing.

Archbishop McGrath School Installed

2011-08-31T10:07:00.002+01:00

Archbishop McGrath Catholic High School

2011-08-26T17:01:00.004+01:00

A new project was being installed today for the moveable hall screen divider at Archbishop McGrath Catholic High School. The school is nearly finished and will be ready to open its doors to its students this September.

The digitally printed artwork measures approximately ten metres by six and is the single largest piece I've ever designed for. It was great seeing it being installed today and the guys are having to work on this evening to finish it, so I'm going to have to wait until next week to see it completed. I'll put some more photos up then…

Peter's Progress

2011-08-24T09:08:00.005+01:00

There's been a lot of work going on over the last couple of months with a new project being installed this Friday but the main focus recently has been getting ready for my son's SDR operation at Frenchay hospital in two weeks time.

Peter has cerebral palsy and this operation gives him the chance of increased mobility. I've made a website called Peter's Progress that gives all the detail and latest on fundraising news as Peter will need a lot of physiotherapy over the next year.

Take a look if you can and I'll be posting some installation photos on Friday…

Heol Y Mynydd

2011-06-22T08:22:00.002+01:00

This was the view from Heol Y Mynydd near Southerndown the other evening. It's a little hamlet on the South Wales coast and in the distance you can see the Garw and Ogmore Valleys.

John & Patrick Reyntiens

2011-06-19T17:40:00.000+01:00

When I was a student I sought out a copy of Patrick Reyntiens' 'Techniques of Stained Glass', so it was great to see the man at work giving a painting demonstration with his son John at the Swansea stained glass department. I only wish I'd taken my copy for him to sign!

Patrick's website

John's website

Sweet Peas

2011-06-17T13:27:00.002+01:00

Man & Wife

2011-04-21T12:37:00.001+01:00

My Science

2011-04-13T12:24:00.001+01:00

I Like Listening To Music

2011-04-06T17:40:00.001+01:00

Piecing It Together

2011-04-05T10:57:00.004+01:00

I've not posted anything for over a month! That's the first time I've done that since I started, bad boy! Anyway let's forget about the end of the cold winter, the clocks have gone on, the evenings are longer and I've promised myself to post a load of stuff this month so this is the first, 'Piecing It Together'.

Shankill Installation

2011-02-26T10:17:00.006Z

I've just returned from Belfast after installing the glass for Shankill Health and Wellbeing Centre. A big thanks to my brother Stuart, Rod and Smot for doing a great job installing the work.

I'll be updating the website soon with the two recent Belfast projects. Below is Smot and myself carrying one of the ten panels installed last Friday…

Studio Work

2011-02-08T10:25:00.001Z

Happy New Year

2011-01-10T17:47:00.001Z

I'd almost forgoton I had a blog, what with all the snow! Anyway things are busy so I'll be posting soon…

Beech Hall Installation

2010-12-13T15:05:00.003Z

The first part of the balustrade panels were installed in Belfast last week located over three floors of the building. After delays getting there due to the snow it was great to see the designs come to life and see how they worked in three dimensions. It was an exciting day and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest installed…

Broadcast and The Focus Group

2010-12-09T22:42:00.000Z

The Shard

2010-11-30T08:47:00.005Z

I spotted 'The Shard' under construction yesterday, so I thought I'd snap it for posterity. Designed by Renzo Piano.

Blue Skies and Sunshine

2010-11-26T12:13:00.003Z

Seeing as it looks like it's just about to snow outside I thought I'd post up these shots from a couple of summers ago in Spain to warm myself up. They were taken on my Diana and I've only just had them developed!

Lye Origami

2010-11-18T18:05:00.005Z

If you're up in Nodnol on the weekend of the 27th November be sure to take a look Lye's new origami at the above at the Curwen & New Academy Gallery. I'm trying to make travel arrangements as we speak…

Ben Reed

2010-11-13T11:09:00.002Z

The Wave Pictures - Sweetheart from Ben Reed on Vimeo.

I've been meaning to post about Bridgend based film maker Ben for a while. He's amazing. When I first saw the video above I played it again and again. Total visual bombardment. You can see his website here and his vimeo here. I think a giant screen should be erected in Bridgend town centre and all his work played over and over for a day and everyone will be slowly drawn in and say, 'look!'… and we could call it 'Ben Day'.

New Panels

2010-10-26T13:03:00.000+01:00

Recently completed panels to made to complement some work I made a few years ago…

Recession busting pencil use

2010-10-20T08:50:00.001+01:00

Iolo's Sketchbook

2010-10-13T20:05:00.003+01:00

I was taking a look at Iolo's blog and noticed a man with a beard that looked familiar…

March VII - IX

2010-10-11T22:21:00.003+01:00

March VII, Mixed media, 160 x 160mm

March VIII, Mixed media, 160 x 160mm

March IX, Mixed media, 160 x 160mm

christianryan.com

2010-10-08T20:47:00.002+01:00

If you've typed in christianryan.com and have been redirected here, to my blog, it's because I've had some problems while updating my web site. So feel free to have a look at some of the posts here and I'll shortly have my site up and running again!

March IV-VI

2010-10-04T20:28:00.003+01:00

March IV, Mixed Media, 160 x 160mm

March V, Mixed media, 160 x 160mm

March VI, Mixed media, 160 x 160mm

March I-III

2010-10-01T08:21:00.004+01:00

These are the first three of a series of nine pieces I've posted up that I made earlier in the year. I was making them just when the cold was lifting and buds were forming and hints of new colours were starting to appear…

March I, Mixed media, 160 x 160mm

March II, Mixed media, 160 x 160mm

March III, Mixed media, 160 x 160mm

Stafford House Cartoon

2010-09-27T08:48:00.003+01:00

I'm in the middle of making a couple of panels to accompany some work I made a few of years ago. It's been interesting revisiting an old design and you can't help approaching it slightly differently, bearing in mind what you learned from doing it the first time. Below I'm drawing the cartoon on the floor…

Cyan

2010-09-15T09:38:00.001+01:00

The last of the three…anyone got a gallery?

Nasturtiums

2010-09-11T19:48:00.002+01:00

I was sitting outside earlier, absorbing a bit of September sunshine, and was enjoying nasturtiums, that seem to have gone mad…

Magenta Panels On Wall

2010-09-08T18:00:00.004+01:00

Today I had the chance to get the magenta panels on the wall to photograph while it wasn't raining. My blue set are nearly finished so I'll be able to take a look at those soon and then I'll have the three pieces of work completed; Yellow, Magenta and Blue.

William The Graphics Boy

2010-09-03T13:48:00.003+01:00

It pleased me greatly to see my son having a go at corporate rebranding…

Mmmm…Magenta

2010-08-19T22:17:00.001+01:00

Some new work on the go…

Take a Look

2010-08-12T13:55:00.003+01:00

Evening In The Studio

2010-08-11T20:30:00.002+01:00

Chasing The Sky

2010-07-28T20:19:00.003+01:00

I found this piece that I made last summer when I was photographing some work. I thought I'd post it up to combat the cloudy skies and dwindling daylight hours…

2000 Trees

2010-07-27T09:38:00.003+01:00

It's been a busy month with not much time for posting although I did have a few planned. This years biannual music festival trip took us to '2000 Trees' near Cheltenham (above was view from camp) where I have to mention a big thanks to Hana who returned a lost roll of film to me and also advised me a how to make an improvised lens cap with some cardboard and blu-tack!…see below.

In The Harbour

2010-07-03T11:30:00.000+01:00

And following on from the last post, here's another one…

Boats

2010-07-02T09:36:00.002+01:00

After a recent walk through Swansea Marina I found myself enjoying the shapes and forms created by the boats and the water, and started a couple of pieces, the above being one of them…

Belfast Commissions

2010-06-18T10:32:00.005+01:00

Over the last couple of months I've been working on two exciting projects for Health and Wellbeing Centres in Belfast, one designed by Todd Architects and the other by Todd in collaboration with Penoyre and Prasad. These are state of the art facilities and offer a unique opportunity for the combination of art into the fabric of the building. The work will take the form of printed glass balustrade panels that are located throughout the buildings developing through each level.

The designs are reaching the final stages and I had a chance to see the development of the buildings yesterday. I'll post more as the project develops…

New Glass Work

2010-06-08T08:25:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I had a look at some new pieces that I've been making. It was great to see them up on the wall for the first time. I've got another two sets of panels to finish off, a blue one and a white one, all I need now is somewhere to exhibit them!

Teenage Fanclub

2010-06-07T18:43:00.003+01:00

Went to Bristol last night to watch The Fannies, fantastic gig, support act Veronica Falls were great. Really enjoyed, a good time was had by all!

Panels in the Sun

2010-06-01T07:55:00.004+01:00

I was finishing painting some glass panels last Friday and had them out in sun to help them dry off. They looked really stark in the sun against the tarmac creating a strong drop shadow…nice…

Sunny Sunday Screen Print

2010-05-23T17:13:00.003+01:00

Sunny Saturday Studio Table

2010-05-22T16:54:00.001+01:00

At The Moment

2010-05-12T15:27:00.002+01:00

At the moment I'm working on a few small pieces made up of panels, these are collage, drawing and painting worked on in different layers. Some of the collaged elements are unfinished paintings from last year that I've 'reused'. The photos below are of one piece I've almost finished where you can see the development of layers from the bottom to the top…

Chitting Potatoes

2010-05-07T15:22:00.004+01:00

These are the last of my potatoes to plant tomorrow…

A Glimpse Into The Archive

2010-05-05T11:35:00.004+01:00

The above exhibition celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Welsh School of Architectural Glass is on at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea until 20th June. The opening was great and I had the chance to catch up with lots of friends both old and new.

Where's My Website?

2010-04-30T11:45:00.003+01:00

If you've just typed in www.christianryan.com and come here to my blog it's because something's up with my website that I'm trying to sort out.

Feel free to have a look around the blog and I'll try and get the website back up as soon as I know what's going on!

Mess

2010-04-25T11:00:00.003+01:00

The last few weeks have been a bit frantic preparing proposals and applications. The result of preparing nice neat boxes that I'd packed to send off, above, resulted in devastation in the studio, below. Perhaps it was time for a tidy up anyway!

Spiders Drawings

2010-04-12T21:10:00.006+01:00

On the inside walls of a old industrial refrigeration unit I noticed these marks that demanded a closer look. Upon examination I concluded that they were made from cobweb, dust and time…

Work in Progress

2010-03-28T20:35:00.004+01:00

Cate Le Bon

2010-03-28T02:54:00.006+01:00

Have a listen, go on…

New Panels

2010-03-24T16:34:00.004Z

Untitled

Reverse painting on glass

700mm x 500mm

I've been making some new panels exploring current interests in colour, line and form. I've just taken a quick photo of this one on the bench to post up. More coming soon…

Spring Has Sprung

2010-03-22T19:48:00.001Z

Work In Progress

2010-03-15T21:45:00.003Z

Recent Sketchbook Pages

2010-03-08T20:21:00.003Z

My Favourite Mug

2010-03-08T14:59:00.003Z

I thought I'd record my favourite mug before it fades away from a few washes too many. It's time to retire it to the studio shelf.

Flutter

2010-02-22T21:19:00.006Z

My panel in the 'A Valentine for Swansea Glass' Exhibition at the Waterfront Museum.

A Valentine for Swansea Glass

2010-02-12T20:02:00.003Z

An exhibition of glass panels with the theme of 'A Valentine for Swansea Glass' is now on at the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea until the 12th March. There are nearly fifty panels on display and they look fantastic!

The exhibition is part of a series of events to celebrate 75 years of the Welsh School of Architectural Glass.

Above is a detail photo of a cluster of suspended glass hearts at the centre of the exhibition.

New Panels in the Making

2010-02-08T08:40:00.004Z

I'm just in the middle of making a few new pieces so I thought I'd post some of the work in progress. All will be revealed in a couple of days…(if they work out!)

Painting

Colour Mixing

More Photos of Peninsula Dental School Panels

2010-01-31T15:15:00.002Z

Peninsula Dental School Installation

2010-01-26T16:46:00.005Z

The last couple of months I've been busy making a series of glass panels for the Peninsula Dental School in Plymouth, they were finally installed this week! I'm just sorting through the photos I've taken. Below are a few of the pieces and I'll post some more shortly…

1st Floor Waiting Area

Kiln cast painted glass with clocks

Stairway Panels

Notice board for Student Common Room

Glass & magnetic stainless steel

The Cold Snap

2010-01-08T10:28:00.004Z

Happy New Year and welcome to the cold. Above is the temperature reading on the kiln this morning!!

First Stage Complete

2009-12-21T08:51:00.000Z

The first stage of the commission for the Peninsula Dental School is complete with fourteen glass panels finished! It has involved some careful colour mixing with about twenty four separate colours being used.

Washington Gallery Christmas Exhibition

2009-12-02T08:30:00.000Z

You can find a few of my prints at this years Christmas Exhibition at the Washington Gallery in Penarth. There's loads of work there and it runs from now until January 4th. Get down there and take a look…

Small Collage

2009-11-30T22:49:00.003Z

This small piece measures about 5 x 5 cm and is from a series of different pieces of collage that are currently being worked on based on school memories.

Teddybears

2009-11-30T22:31:00.003Z

Following a discussion about our favourite books when we were younger, Iolo pulled out a copy of this book, 'Teddybears ABC'. What a blast from the past!

Colour Pots

2009-11-26T21:45:00.002Z

Peninsula Dental School

2009-11-23T08:58:00.003Z

Work has begun on a new commission for the Peninsula Dental School in Plymouth. This consists of a series of glass panels designed for various locations through the building. There are also a couple of function elements including clocks and a modular unit notice board for the students common room. Above is the design for the panels in the stairwell linking waiting areas. I'll be posting more as the work progresses…

The Coming & Going

2009-11-09T08:25:00.009Z

We've had the first frost, the day before yesterday, slightly later than last year, and Halloween and Guy Fawkes have come and gone. In my last post, three weeks ago, I was looking at the Autumn leaves falling and now it feels we're definitely into Winter!

I've completed the prints that I've been making over the last few months and I've realised how much the seasons have played a part in my work from the first prints in June of swallows and swifts to my late summer chutney making ritual (green bean & chilli chutney this year!). I've called the prints 'The Coming & Going', there are ten in total and I see them as a visual celebration of things that are around me. Below are a few and I've nearly finished a website with them all on…

Oxfordshire Autumn Leaves

2009-10-20T07:31:00.003+01:00

One Year On

2009-10-13T15:33:00.002+01:00

It was a year this month that I started this blog and one of my first entries was a post called 'Pots & Pans'. It's nice to see that finally my interest in a dirty colander has made its way from passing glance to ink and paper. The print above is one of a portfolio of ten prints that I've nearly finished and hope to exhibit in the near future, I'll be posting all of them shortly, two more to go…

Pencil Love

2009-10-07T08:02:00.002+01:00

New pencils arrived today! That's taken the edge off a wet October morning.

The Twins

2009-09-29T07:57:00.003+01:00

I've just had a bunch of rolls developed that I took over the summer with my Diana, marking my first excursion into colour. It was like Christmas waiting for the films to come back, I probably got about twelve shots of sixty that I'm really pleased with in their own right and the ones that aren't a write off, due to poor exposure etc., are going to make great source material for other things.

100% Shattered

2009-09-27T11:36:00.003+01:00

Got back from London last night after visiting 100% Design. So much great stuff there, I hadn't been for three years or so. The highlight for me was the '100% Futures' part of the exhibition, there was some brilliant independent designers and small companies exhibiting, sometimes I thought I was walking through a gallery not a trade show… ticked all the boxes!

Another highlight was bumping into Bianca who I met when I first started teaching in the Swansea Glass Department. It was great to see her and since finishing college she's set up her own place, Divito Studios, back home in Ireland.

Kelly Joe Phelps

2009-09-23T16:33:00.006+01:00

I managed to get to The Globe in Cardiff last night to watch Kelly Joe Phelps in what turned out to be one of the most captivating gigs I've ever seen, a truly magical musical performance. I was also enjoying the functional, no frills stage set up… it's all about the music man!

Petal Spinning on a Cobweb

2009-09-16T08:49:00.002+01:00

One of my Favourite Possessions

2009-09-10T21:50:00.000+01:00

It's automatic, it's systematic, it's hydromatic, it's the 'Automatic Cake & Pie Server'.

Calling Cards

2009-08-31T11:53:00.002+01:00

I started making a Christmas card and kept on going, I think I'm doing a whole range of calling cards. Above are a couple of examples.

Last of the Summer Sun

2009-08-28T09:26:00.003+01:00

This was what it was like on holiday in Spain last week… It was only like this one night but it's nice to be back to the magnificent variety that our more temperate climate has on offer. In fact, after looking at a cloudless sky for most of the week, and being too hot, I realised how much I missed the little fellas and came across the 'Cloud Appreciation Society'.

Nature v Nurture?

2009-08-18T15:58:00.006+01:00

Ever wonder where your colour schemes come from? I was thinking exactly that when I was looking at a couple of digital prints I'd just made and then turned around and looked at the draining board…

…spooky!

My first Diana Shots

2009-08-15T08:50:00.002+01:00

After getting my Diana camera quite a few months ago I've only just had my first film processed. Big thanks to Jan my neighbour for processing and loads of tips. There didn't appear to be much on the film at all, in fact it looked a total disaster, but after scanning and some adjustments in Photoshop these ghostly images started to appear from nothing…

Lisa

From a garden in St Brides

William

Lavender & Thyme

It's Heaven in Devon

2009-08-14T08:34:00.003+01:00

I've just come back from a trip to Devon for a couple of days where I had a meeting in Plymouth. I went up with Lisa and the boys and decided to camp for a couple of nights in Church Hill Farm Campsite in Buckfastleigh. It was truly an international affair where each evening we had a mammoth game of Tig with fellow French and Dutch campers and their children. I thought it would be a relaxing few nights but left daunted by my lack of fitness! Anyway, I'm off for a jog…

Digital Glass Sample

2009-08-05T09:18:00.002+01:00

I meant to post this up a couple of months ago, it's one of the swatch sheets to check the colours for the Manchester project.

More Manchester Photos

2009-07-30T09:39:00.004+01:00

I visited Manchester yesterday to take a look at the finished installed work. The feedback so far has been really good and I was really pleased with the print quality and depth of colour. A big thanks to Warren and Heather at Digital Glass who have been great to work with. More photos below…

7th Wedding Anniversary

2009-07-28T10:14:00.001+01:00

Manchester Installation Complete

2009-07-27T07:11:00.003+01:00

Finally the latest project I've been working on was installed last week. It's a 30 metre glazed concourse area of digitally printed glass in the new Manchester Royal Infirmary. There'll be more photos and info coming soon…

Diane Arbus

2009-07-15T09:37:00.006+01:00

I was in Cardiff the other day and stumbled upon the touring exhibition of the work of Diane Arbus at the National Museum. I wandered into the exhibition rooms and got sucked into such a powerful display of images. I left worn out, emotionally drained and had to pull myself together to head out of the museum and into the Cardiff sun. That did the job…

"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know." Diane Arbus

Masked Woman in a Wheelchair PA, 1970

Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, 1962

The Fog Has Lifted

2009-07-09T19:46:00.004+01:00

I didn't quite realise how quickly the last few weeks have flown by! I've definitely had a bit of a block for the last week or so, but saying that I've been busy sorting some paperwork stuff as well, hence the lack of posts. I'm back on track now and started some new paintings today which look promising. Work in progress below…

The First Prints

2009-06-19T10:11:00.006+01:00

I've had a break from painting and decided to get my screen printing set up together. Amazing…I love it, it's so in sync with the way I design for glass and integrates with my collage work, I think this is going to be my primary medium for a while as the ideas are flowing…and so is the ink! Can't stop…must print!

A Rainy Morning

2009-06-03T14:18:00.003+01:00

A week ago today, first thing in the morning, I set out on a little sketching trip. As usual when I plan to go and do some drawing, which is not as often as I'd like, it poured down. This led to some massive sketchbook warpage and wet feet. However, I had a great time… and, as Roger Miller once said, "Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet."