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Ryan Warner

@ryanwarnerphotography

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my whole heart. by @ryanwarnerphotography

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10 months ago

by @ryanwarnerphotography

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2 years ago

only had a brief visit this afternoon @seattleartfair by @ryanwarnerphotography

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12 hours ago

some of my favorite works at @assemblyfair this afternoon. get out there this weekend to support these fantastic artists & galleries. by @ryanwarnerphotography

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2 days ago

Lush forest pathways, variegated urban gardens, and remote island shores adorn Sarah’s studio, like a journey through the seasons. Bird sightings, park wanderings, and humans wrapped in verdure. The afternoon sun casts down skylights above, accentuating the thick impasto swaths of oil, layer upon layer in an almost sculptural finish. Most of these idyllic scenes are translated from memory, from shared ventures with friends and loved ones, of local visits and travels afar. Back in the studio, field sketches and sensory impressions become the foundation for these works, commemorating observation and experience through color and light. Sarah’s process is, in essence, a thoughtful and physical meditation on how memory is built and archived.

Apart from her artwork, @sknmeep80 keeps busy teaching art to adults with disabilities, working as a professional seamstress, and as an art educator at North Seattle College. Sarah’s works do more than simply capture the natural world —they immerse us in its transformative power and underscore the precious gift of mindfulness. by @ryanwarnerphotography

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3 days ago

Artist and educator @mbontragerart conjures surreal landscapes from her lived experience and worldly travels. What often starts as a simple line sketch unfurls into an overlapping, textured amalgam of graphite and luminous color. These fragmented shapes seem familiar, resembling forms we recall from memory. And yet, these compositions are not born from reality or photographs, but rather the deep well of Bontrager’s own imagination and evolving process.

At their heart, Melana’s works are living metaphors for the human condition, the overlap and connective tissue of our existence. Cracks and tension mirror our struggles, amidst the calm sinews of joy. Her work reminds us that our experiences—like stone shaped by wind, water and time—are ever-changing, simultaneously vulnerable and resilient.

As a longtime local, Bontrager carries an affinity for the Pacific Northwest and its coastlines. And with an educational background in art therapy, she combines her emotional intelligence and understanding of human behavior with her love for the natural world. In her lines, textures, and twisting colors, we find our own connection. Before a finishing gloss is applied, Bontrager often sits with her work, not unlike other artists, but she can stew and let it breathe for weeks, even longer. In that time, her work—like the humanity it reflects—can transform by the passage of emotion and time. by @ryanwarnerphotography

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10 days ago

“Memory really matters...only if it binds together the imprint of the past and the project of the future, if it enables us to act without forgetting what we wanted to do, to become without ceasing to be, and to be without ceasing to become.” ~Italo Calvino

Much of Azadeh’s work is drawn from memory, serving as a lasting thread between her historical roots and immigrant story to her evolving self and prospective futures. With her charming pom, Pablo, moseying about her sun-soaked studio, Azadeh speaks of other artistic influences — of nature, architecture, and landscapes. Azadeh grew up in Tehran and left her home in pursuit of liberation, of a want for something more. With an education in architecture, she landed in Chicago and developed a proclivity for the arts, eventually earning an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

In her woven tapestries and geometric sculpture, Azadeh explores light and color through layered patterns of thread, felt, and wood. Her process is one of repetition and tactility, which offers ample time for self-reflection and meditation. The studio looks out onto the water and a nearby park, a habitat rich with human activity and the occasional heron. That proximity to the natural world is instrumental to her practice and the landscapes she forms. And inside, her workspace is tranquil, deliberate, and adorned with early works, found objects, and fragments of the past. Nostalgia and memory are often complex, not always comforting. But they are every bit as much a part of our identity and development as anything else. After sitting in conversation with Azadeh, it is evident how much memory informs her work and her being. I am so glad to have met this captivating human, and I will continue to celebrate her work at every turn. You can check out her latest collection of work at the Seattle Art Fair July 23-26 through @the_vestibule_ by @ryanwarnerphotography

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15 days ago

During my brief visit with @kteisler.art at her spacious North Bend studio, we stumbled upon several topics, from her winding artistic journey to the dichotomy between her large-scale oil portraiture and textural cold-wax works to her purposeful approach to self-marketing and client service. Throughout, one theme echoed above all else: joy. Joy in the offbeat rhythm of an artist’s life, in the risks and the hard-won rewards. Joy in capturing the subtleties of human emotion, transforming them into works that pulse with energy and meaning. Joy in fearless experimentation, in pushing boundaries and elevating her craft. And joy in knowing her art has the power to enrich the lives of others. KT often welcomes commission work not as an obligation, but as a genuine partnership. Instead of seeing commissions as an iterative compromise, she finds purpose and fulfillment in the happiness her paintings bring. For KT, joy isn’t merely an idea—it’s the driving force behind every brushstroke, and the spark that propels her toward whatever comes next. by @ryanwarnerphotography

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22 days ago

I am drawn to other humans who find ease and kinship in customarily uneasy discussion about political/social discourse, civil and existential threats, mental illness, and the like. I’ve long admired Holly’s art, knowing the import these issues have on her work and livelihood. She is unafraid to intrepidly navigate those categorically “tough” conversations. I gravitate towards art that is stirring and confrontational, in direct response to the world’s happenings and horrors.

For several decades, @hballardmartz has produced innumerable works that broach these controversial matters, that challenge and question, that clamor with rage, and subtly discomfort the comfortable. In her practice, Martz uses found or discarded objects to fabricate her elaborate sculptures and installations. From an ornate wallpaper of coated steel hangers in the shape of the female reproductive system to a full-scale circus tent made up of American flags, no topic is impermissible. Beyond her incisive commentary, the sheer quality and meticulous craftsmanship of the works are truly remarkable.

Holly started out in printmaking and can recount the moment in her life when she shifted to a sculptural focus. Years ago, her daughter, who battles ongoing mental illness, had attempted suicide. Holly recalls the medical alert band on her daughter’s wrist that read ‘Fall Risk.’ How could her daughter fall any further than she had at that juncture? In response, Holly ordered 500 of those bands and assembled a net from them to catch her fallen daughter. This activism and advocacy give voice to so many of us. It’s empowering.

As a parent of two daughters, I’m acutely aware of the shifting political landscape that threatens their futures and erodes their rights. As a lifelong depressive, I am actively living with this disease and understand its nuances. As a human, I am beset with worry; my eyes are open to the atrocities and inequities of this world. I feel a powerful connection to Holly’s work, her ideologies, and her humanity. by @ryanwarnerphotography

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23 days ago

I was initially turned on to Gabriel’s design and branding work before I became aware of his independent art practice. As a freelance designer, he still engages in that work often and teaches design at UW as an adjunct professor. Originally from Louisiana, @g_stromberg demonstrated a penchant for the arts at a young age and was given every opportunity to explore that predilection by his “hippie parents.” His recent show at Studio E Gallery in April, called Earth Sign, was partly informed by his early life along the rural Gulf Coast, of landforms and waterways of youthful nostalgia. Gabriel translated these recalled landscapes, along with found artifacts, into collage and sculptural compositions of shape and color.

Now, well-established in Seattle, he focuses his artmaking on ceramics, collage, and screenprinting, among other pursuits. There is an atmospheric ease in his orbit, watching him work and speak on his approach to artmaking. He is skilled and self-assured, yet unafraid to experiment and broaden his technical know-how. Gabriel possesses a rich curiosity for study that affords him the prospect to push his artistic interests wherever they might lead. I can’t articulate it well enough, but there is a visual throughline from his design work to his art that affirms a contemporary aesthetic rooted in intention and highly attuned to the end client. As such, his celebrated design background, paired with his visual taste, is a force multiplier in bolstering the allure, respect, and marketability of his artwork. For this artist, educator, and designer, there is boundless possibility, so stay tuned for whatever Gabriel turns out next. by @ryanwarnerphotography

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a month ago

When you delve into the sweeping catalog of Graham’s work, you’re taken on an introspective journey. A ride to a surreal galaxy rife with existential narratives, expressive characters, a resonant interrelation to nature, and a web of conceptual understanding, of which you actively choose the threads to pull on or traverse. There is hope and optimism in his paintings. There is grief and shame. There is humor and playfulness. There is pain and trauma. There is concern for this world. There is reflection. There is loneliness. There is care. All the bits and scraps that make us human, both bitter and sweet, can be found within his work.
Most days, not all, Graham will sit with his morning coffee and paint a fresh dreamscape. It has become a steadfast routine of his practice since 2019. Over that period, Graham has completed more than 800 pieces in this fashion. The impetus for this practice came a year after Graham lost his older brother in an unforeseen accident. Graham struggled in his grief and needed a reason to get out of bed and put his creativity in motion. These morning coffee sessions did just that, benefiting not only his art practice but also helping him work through his emotions. That commitment has withstood severe hardship of late. Late summer of 2025, Graham’s work studio and community-centered gallery in Ballard, Get Nice. Gallery, suffered devastating fire damage, destroying countless works of his and many other artists. Graham had poured immense financial investment and sweat equity into that gallery space as a collaborative haven for the local art community. He has since rebuilt his practice following the tragedy with sustained vision and resolve. In his latest show, We Are All Wearing Masks Of Our Own Making, currently at @gallery.ergo Graham explores the colorful and elaborate disguises that we fabricate and render. This is conveyed through the visual symbol of whimsical, bespoke balaclavas. Graham persists despite any setback, and with his forthcoming nuptials, there is cause for joy. Go see his show at Gallery Ergo, purchase a painting, or pick up a print online. At the very least, follow along the exploits of this wildly talented human. by @ryanwarnerphotography

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