Ryan Lawrence Jones
Ryan Lawrence Jones (born March 1, 1981) is an American artist known for working with large canvas and mixed media (oil, acrylic and collage). He lives and works in Mill Valley, California.
Education
He was classically trained at Stanford University, attending from 1999-2003.
Work
Ryan Jones' paintings immerse the audience in stories with mysterious, luxurious settings - images infused with fantasy and a hint of noir. Rather than frame FACES as in ordinary portraiture, Jones gives the viewer a GLIMPSE of his subjects, directing the focus toward the finer nuances of a scene. As he has noted, his work is a unique “fusion of the real and surreal." Juxtaposed in and around bold geometric shapes, his compositions encourage the viewer to see bits of life through a restricted lens, as if you’re watching through a keyhole, your imagination filling with possible story lines, speculating about what has happened, what is about to happen, and what is happening just beyond the border of the frame.
Prior to focusing on his traditional painting career, Ryan Jones was a digital artist for more than a decade with Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), the visual effects division within Lucasfilm. He was a digital artist on more than 25 major motion pictures. His body of work ranges from digital animation art, to digital environment painting. Most recent films include Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Revenant and Deep Water Horizon. His work on Rango won Best Animated Feature Film at the 2012 Oscars. He was recently nominated for a 2016 VES award for his work on Deep Water Horizon.