from the artist studio
Making light work of challenges The highly involved nature of Ry- an’s work requires some heavy-duty equipment and there was a lot he had to consider when setting up his space––environmental elements like wind and rain, controlling sparks from grinding and welding, mitigating sur-
the structural load, but also create balance and beauty. “I got to go into one of the legs and see how the interior was made,” he said. “There’s a lot of history that structure made with its triangular form, and most of the work I do now is in a triangular form on a curve.” Eventually, he figured it out, but even today, stretch- ing and manipulating the metal into the design he envisioned remains one of the primary challenges of his work. “Figuring out how to stretch the metal into a
A conversation ryan schmidt
"Inception", stainless steel by Ryan Schmidt
with new designs. The concepts, how- ever, are the easy part. “I can sit down with a blank piece of paper and freeform start sketching,” Ryan said. “Most of the time with clay work, I’ll just sit down and start adding and taking away…just freeform some- thing from the clay. It kind of comes naturally to me.” The hard part is manipulating the steel into the design he sketched or modeled. From concept to fin- ished sculpture, Ryan goes through upwards of 15 steps, but to him, the interaction that’s created from the mirror-like finish makes it all worth it. And luckily, he enjoys the journey along the way. “What’s rewarding to me is the assembly, the completion of some- thing whether it’s a new form or new idea,” he said. “Exploring the unknown is what makes this enjoyable, and the fact that other people appreciate it enough to purchase it for their home or business makes it rewarding as well.”
situation where it’s going to do what I want it to do is the challenge,” he said. “Sometimes that process takes years to figure out how to perfect it. Some- times you have to go with the flow and that might mean the project has to change.” Ryan’s resilience and ability to roll with the punches, however, keeps him continually seeking bigger––even monumental–– challenges. Working toward monumental Though a childhood fascination with origami certainly contributed to Ryan’s style of work, what ultimately kickstarted this path was that trip to the St. Louis Arch. “If I had not visited the Gateway Arch in person, and rode 630 feet to the top, I may not have been inspired to dream big,” he said. “To me, monu- mental work is full of emotion that is mostly experienced by engagement firsthand.” And he is inching his way up to monumental works. Currently, Ryan is working on one of his largest projects to date, a commission
Operating on a finer scale Looking at Ryan’s body of work and everything he stocked into his tem- porary setup, it’s evident this is an exuberant, ambitious, vibrant and hospitable soul. He embraces all life has to offer. He doesn’t shy away from hard work, but also enjoys indulging himself and others in the opulence life has to offer. This is seen not only in his highly polished sculptures, which immerse viewers in the surrounding beauty that’s reflected through the mirror-fin- ish surface, but also in the thoughtful touches he put into his temporary studio. In fact, his space has become a bit of an artist retreat as Ryan routinely invites others in for a shot of chilled elderberry or an espresso––always served in a fancy glass with a cocktail napkin. But don’t be fooled by these little luxuries. This space is first and fore- most built for hard work––cutting, bending, stretching, welding, grinding and polishing large sheets of steel into beautiful sculptures that are full of motion. The setup alone is labor in- tensive, and something most wouldn’t even attempt for a temporary setting. But Ryan seems to make easy work of challenges. Ryan Schmidt in action at his temporary studio.
J ust beyond the tent walls of the Celebration of Fine Art sits an unos- tentatious, beige shipping contain- er. Though it may not look like much from the outside, behind the roll-up, garage doors sits a workshop that’s equal parts workhorse and “artist cave”. There’s a lot packed into this 20-foot container, and every inch reveals a new discovery––a welder, tool chest, industrial shelving, workbench and
plenty of tools. But then something somewhat unexpected catches the eye. Something that gives a peek into the character of whoever set up this workshop. It’s an espresso machine flanked by a tray of elegant glassware, black cocktail napkins, snacks, and a beverage refrigerator, which is always stocked with home-brewed elderberry syrup (hand crafted by Ryan). Then there’s the adjacent dart board and scoreboard. And this is all set against the back- drop of the premium audio system pumping
face reflectance as he’s working with the material, and of course, the safety of surrounding artists. But Ryan is a problem-solver by na- ture, a trait that enabled him to even bring the vision for this type of sculp- ture to fruition. “In the beginning, one of the big- gest challenges was getting the metal to line up the way I wanted it to,” he said. “Because it was on a plane, I couldn’t create a compound bend.” Inspired by the St. Louis Arch, Ryan was determined to recreate the triangular structure used in architect- ing the arch. He was struck by the strength of the triangular form, and how it was used to not only support "Stupendous", stainless steel by Ryan Schmidt
Watch Ryan's interview here.
piece that will stand just shy of 20 feet tall. But he also keeps himself challenged by continually coming up
music into the space (and be - yond). Who does this temporary studio belong to? None other than stainless steel sculp-
“Exploring the unknown is what makes this enjoyable..."
tor Ryan Schmidt.
"Ascension", stainless steel by Ryan Schmidt
Page 12
Issue 3 | Winter/Spring 2024
Issue 3 | Winter/Spring 2024
Page 13
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease