Ryan Adams

My artistic practice began with the use of letters and letterforms through writing graffiti in my youth. The art of graffiti writing is centered around creatively bending and abstracting letterforms as far as they can while still maintaining their function and legibility. I fell in love with the parameters that came with abstracting letters as they can only be pushed so far until they are no longer legible. Having the invisible boundary around the structure of the form provides a framework and limitation that can be pushed and even destroyed while still present. This love of letter abstraction carried forward as I developed the visual language that I am most known for today, the geometric “gem” style. These pieces are centered around lettering. The structure of the word or statement is the backbone of the entire piece, with the geometric design created from flourishes and extensions from the letters. The color palette is built from the emotion of the statement.

Having the ability to embed a statement within my work affords me the opportunity to convey something extremely direct to the viewer. I try to keep the statements short, between three–six words at most. This forces me to distill the feeling or thought that I am trying to express down to its shortest and most potent form. I have always admired the ability of poets and musicians to encapsulate extremely complex issues into short form statements. The written word packs a punch that every person can feel. Written words govern our entire existence from laws to traffic instructions. They hold a lot of weight and power. The abstraction and masking of the statement allows me to create a visually dynamic composition that can draw someone in before engaging with the words within. I like to think of how comedians can openly discuss difficult and uncomfortable topics through the vehicle of humor: sort of the “spoonful of sugar” thinking where you confront the difficult part by prefacing it with something enjoyable. I love watching people interact with the pieces when they are drawn to the overall design or color palette, then seeing them recognize a letter, and sitting with it until they decipher the message. By the time they get to the written piece, they have been with the work for a while, and that can make the statement that much more potent.

I do not feel that words are necessary in creating an effective message. I do believe that images alone and statements alone can be equally effective. Being in the visual arts, specifically painting, I think that words and lettering within pieces is not the norm and often seen as too direct. Of course there are masterpieces centered around lettering, but it is more rare than those centered around direct imagery. I fell in love with letters and the creative combining of words to convey my feelings and ideas, so I lean more towards this side. I have also always been the kind of person to artistically dance the line of what I’m told is wrong or shouldn’t do. So with there being less letterforms highlighted in the traditional gallery space, I get great joy from figuring out how to stay true to my work and seeing it reside in those spaces.

I think that it could be argued that a lot of artwork is propaganda. That scenic landscape of the Maine coast is often painted in a way to evoke a specific emotion or to draw attention to a very singular aspect of the place it reflects. I would also refer to what I mentioned earlier about the power of the written word and how it governs and informs us about everything that we do throughout our days. Since words and lettering are ubiquitous in our daily lives, I understand how they could be grouped within the instructional and utilitarian function. My work is centered around the statement, but visually the words are masked within the geometric design and the letters kind of take a backseat to the overall piece. This helps to separate the work from being seen in the same way as a sign or advertisement.

Letterforms dictate a large portion of my compositions. The geometric design is composed using the flourishes and extensions that would be added to letters in traditional graffiti writing. I continue to use this process in a way to honor and respect my foundation. Graffiti is an American art form that was created by underprivileged youth in the ’70s and ’80s that has grown into a worldwide movement that has influenced advertising, marketing, and so many other facets within our culture. We are just now seeing small glimpses of its recognition in traditional art and gallery spaces. I believe the reason for that was its creation by primarily black and brown youth from the inner-city without a direct connection or correlation to the European “masters.” That is the world where I found my first influences and where I learned composition, form, and color theory. My work is rooted in this practice, and now that I may be fortunate enough to have my work in these traditional art spaces, I will continue to carry forward my respect and admiration for the art form through keeping those foundations in my work.

 

 

Image at top: Ryan Adams, Unite and Do Right, exterior surface coating, 110 x 168 ft., 2025.