Gretchen Ryan

In the earliest stages of her career, Gretchen Ryan focused her attention on portraits of child beauty pageant contestants. She painted many of the same girls throughout their childhoods, chronicling their evolving understanding of the power of their own beauty. Ryan has always approached her canvas with a deep respect for her models, and for traditional techniques of portraiture. In her near-photorealistic portrayals, she delicately enunciates each ringlet, rhinestone, and ribbon in her subjects' hair.

Portraits such as Kinsey and Olivia capture expressions of fear and dismay rarely seen in images of pageant girls. The vulnerability of Ryan’s subjects alludes to the darker side of youthful beauty. Her much-beloved pageant princesses are put on pedestals, but are therefore also put in danger. Our cultural for beauty, Ryan's work seems to argue, is never without consequence.

At first glance, Ryan’s interest in 18th-century British portraiture and children's fairy tale illustrations is apparent. When one looks deeper into her body of work, equally apparent is her dedication to animal rights. Her portraits of children and animals alike examine purity and youth within the context of societal ignorance and cruelty. Ryan is able to spotlight her subjects in very particular light while skirting preachiness.

Gretchen Ryan was born in Boulder, Colorado. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States and Europe. She lives and works in Los Angeles.