We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Barrow and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Ryan, why did you pursue a creative career?
My artistic and creative career began before I even knew it. Throughout my youth, I was influenced by many artists and craftsman in my family, helping to groom my skills for more than 25 years. It was while taking an elective course in stained glass, I realized my true potential to become a real artist. Still in high school, I then started my professional career working within a well-known and reputable glass company. It was an opportunity that forced me to rapidly increase my knowledge, turning my innate ability for art into a high-level skill set. The recognition of my ability then turned my passion for glasswork into a distinct style that legitimized my career as a professional artist.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art combines multiple techniques that fuse glass, porcelain, ceramics, and other mixed media to create a visual contrast. Through a keen eye and heavy detail, my one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable approach to mosaics captivates the attention of an audience with the unique use of reflective materials. At the age of 25 and working in studios, I was given the opportunity to study the masters by being on a team of artists doing full museum quality restoration of the original work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, John La Farge, and Franz Xaver (FX) Zettler. I began to create the vision for my future by taking on commission work outside of a studio setting and exploring the possibilities as an individual artist. With a few transitions in my personal life, coupled with being burnt out by the industry, I took a reprieve from art that ended up lasting over a decade. In that period of time, I did not know if I would ever create again, let alone complete pieces that were left unfinished. Fast forward to 2021, losing a business in the leadership development field due to COVID-19 left me forced to pivot my career path. Being unfilled by the corporate world, I began to think back to my true passion, leading me to revive my art career. I dedicated these next couple years to building my new body of work that set me apart from others, taking on some commission pieces, while remaining gallery focused. This lead to the culmination and unveiling of my very first ever solo art show. Now with numerous pieces ready to show, my mission is to enhance my visibility and bring my design to the public at a larger scale. Through my eyes to yours, I hope to gift the depth of capability that the new modern approach to mosaics can provide.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a big thanks to the mentorship from the multiple studios that I worked with throughout my years, along with the support system that I have built to create a space to strengthen my career as an artist. Some of the people that come to mind include my high school art teacher, Sparky Lundberg; Ed Gilbertson Jr. of Gilbertson’s Stained Glass; Anita Saunders of Hearts Desire Glassworks; The Vinery; and Mad Mosaics.

  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryan_barrow_/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.barrow.501

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ryanbarrowartdesign2621

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@stainedglassmastery?lang=en

Image Credits
Roxane Faulkner of RoxFaulk (images 7 &8)

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