“Art has a way of molding, shaping, and moving one; the artist no less than the viewer. I am continually surprised and delighted at how a painting takes a direction that I wasn’t planning, and ends in a place that I couldn’t have foreseen. For that reason, I hesitate to call it ‘my art’. I would prefer to say ‘the Art that comes to and through me’. I work in oils with pallet knives and brushes. I love the effects I can achieve with a knife, but am also learning better how to blend and achieve results with a brush.
I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana, with my wife and five children. I am a 7th generation native to this area, and oil painting has been a part of my family for generations as well. I feel these influences have been a gift to me, and I am obligated to use these gifts to share the beauty of this world to all who choose to see.”
Biography
Ryan Jolley was born and raised in Victor, Montana. His ancestors arrived by way of the Oregon Trail to the Bitterroot Valley in 1866. Ryan grew up on the family homestead on the beautiful river bottom. He enjoyed sports and academics, graduating Valedictorian from Victor High School in 2002. In 2007, he married his sweetheart, Amanda. They now reside on a small farm in Corvallis in the home they built along with their 5 kids.