Ryan Scully grew up in the shadow of the DOE Hanford Nuclear Site in Richland, WA. The unique influence of dependence on a controversial industry, a striking desert landscape and the ominous importance of resources deeply impacted the young artist’s development. In ‘Always Moving,” his canvases are populated with rough landscapes and amorphous characters in a state of anxious flux. Rocky overhangs struggle to break free. Threatening clouds sweep in and out of frame. Multiple inhabitants scurry towards perceived safety or to join in a group offense. These elements share an unsettling yet cooperative relationship. They are in a state of push and pull, an ever twisting but also evolving relationship in which life and it’s environment struggle against each other yet ultimately become equal and find space to co-exist.
Ryan Scully earned his BFA from Central Washington University and his MFA from the New York Academy of Art.