Today we’d like to introduce you to J. Ryan Landry
Hi J. Ryan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always been drawing since as long as I could remember. When I was very little, dinosaurs fascinated me, because there really is no wrong way to draw a dinosaur as a kid. But it was the movie Superman with Christopher Reeve that really inspired me. And unbeknownst to me as a child, you secretly learn anatomy by drawing muscles. and the human form, like ribs, clavicles and triceps, etc. This was so long ago, “superhero movies came out once every 3 or 4 years! Cartoons also played an early role like Popeye and Mickey Mouse. I loved Bugs Bunny and his antics. So growing up I’d find myself completely occupied with coloring books or just a blank art pads that I filled up with cartoons I watched on TV or super-heroes that entertained me.
We can skip ahead to college. I graduated from Miami University in Ohio but as a history major. (or story telling as I call it). I didn’t take any art classes but I did get the job to draw editorial cartoons for the school paper. I loved that job. I could create something witty, sentimental, topical. It wasn’t a class for a grade but I felt like it was the best part of my education. During summers I worked at Paramount’s King’s Island as a caricature artist. King’s Island is like Worlds of Fun but outside of Cincinnati. That was equally exciting and can be intimidating. You never know who will take a seat to be drawn and you just hope in the beginning your art will last a week on their refrigerator..
After college, things got harder. Remember I said I majored in history and my back up plan was art? Newspapers were getting eaten up by the internet. I needed to take some more classes and I studied everything I could to become a graphic designer. Even as an artist, there was a definite need to learn Adobe Photoshop and other programs to work in computers. And that was great! But it was not my first love of drawing. In a way I felt like a jack of all trades and master of none. I could do a little programming, drawing, designing, ads really whatever anyone needed. If I didn’t know how to do something, I’d learn it. I even had a job as a stand up comic in Overland Park at Famous Johnny’s and would host open mic nights and emcee a little over the weekends.
Eventually I decided I needed a change and I moved out to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I hitched my wagon to a company that drew caricatures for tourist on the beach and during the off season we would travel up and down the coast. from New York, Virginia, Carolinas, Florida and draw at all the state fairs. It felt like a 4 year long vacation. But I missed home, I missed Kansas City. I moved back and took all my experiences and knowledge and invested in myself. That’s when I started my own business, Skipper Art. Skipper Art is where I draw caricatures at festivals, parties and i do a lot of commission work. I am finally my own boss! And most importantly, happy. No place like home.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has not been smooth. That doesn’t mean the path wasn’t fun either. Art can be tough to make a living wage so I have had to sacrifice and take jobs along the way, some I didn’t want. For me it really was an interesting journey. I know it’s cliche but I truly believe I was able to pick up a skill or trade or learn something that would eventually benefit me in the future. So it would be impossible for me to want to change anything. I remember while working in South Carolina I had to sleep on an air mattress in an office vestibule until I could afford my own place. Some jobs you just have to take until something else comes along. I had a couple great paying jobs in design but I felt claustrophobic with a boss and limited creativity. Or there was no room for growth.
Art is like life. When I have a blank paper in front of me, I tend to have an idea of what I want it to look like. But I have no idea how it will turn out. And it never turns out the way I imagined it from the beginning. That’s a good thing.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work usually starts with a blank piece of paper and an idea. Definitely evolutionary and I am always trying to improve. For now, I am focused on creating art for other people through caricatures and commissions. You might find it strange but I don’t have any of my own art hanging up on my walls! I give everything away. And with caricatures, there is a real human experience interacting with complete strangers. They sit down in what I call the “hot seat” and for 3-5 minutes I get to engage a little in their lives. Plus I get to travel and not work in a studio all the time. And I have seen some really cool things and gone to amazing places and conversed with some really incredible people. I get to be a part of your world for a couple minutes, a part of your date or your Christmas party or family reunion. What I do makes me feel good and I am like WOW! This is kinda cool! I tried to take everything I’ve learned in the past and focus on happiness through art. AND still be able to pay the bills.
Any big plans?
What I like about my profession is that there is no finish line or retirement age. You live in the present. I like to look at everything I have done over the year and see how I can improve or grow for the next year. When they say “if you do what you love, you never work a day” is really not true. I try to work really hard to do better than the day before. I just recently started playing with digital caricatures with an Apple Pencil on my iPad. That just opened up so many more ideas I hope to try in the future. I’ve been able to balance work and personal life pretty well. So i just plan to keep keepin’ on. Like Doc Brown said, your future hasn’t yet been written, it’s whatever you make it.
Pricing:
- $150 per hour for live caricatures
- $100 per subject for commission art
Contact Info:
- Website: https://skipperart.com
- Instagram: @hippyskippyart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jryanlandry75/
