Dennis Ryan - kickthefaucet.com - Fine Art

Answers to questions about fine art by Dennis Ryan: paintings about psychological disorders, specifically obsessive compulsive disorder: OCD

From time to time I'll share comments from emails I very frequently receive on my fine art website kickthefaucet.com - paintings and art work about psychological disorders, specifically obsessive compulsive disorder: OCD

This post is a copy of questions I recently received from a person named Sam. The questions were thoughtful, so I'm posting my answers. Sam also wrote for permission to include my fine art in a paper he was writing:

Series 2: Ticker - Acryic, rubbing alcohol on canvas - 2'x3'

1. Why is it that you mainly focus on the compulsion of cleaning rather than other common compulsions?
   

   In my opinion, cleanliness is the most identifiable and prevalent act of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It also represents the most interesting and appealing content, in relation to my concepts, across the majority of audiences. My artwork’s conceptual facets revolve around psychological disorders. Series 2 revolves around OCD, focusing on the “C” of the “CCCC” in OCD that represents cleanliness.
   

2. What are the numbers about in your series 2 pieces?
   
   The numbers symbolize time and counting: time wasted counting. Certain pieces have numbers that represent obsessive day-trading (or gambling) in the form of a suggested “stock ticker”. Numbers are also an additional vehicle to help integrate type into my fine art; which usually consists mostly of line, form and color. I feel type to be an important form of expression and use it to reinforce certain conceptual aspects of my work.
   


3. Why does your work change so much between series 1 and 2, not only the subject matter but the composition and style as well?
   
   The changes are mostly representative of artistic progression and growth. Series 2 evolved as a result of lessons and experiments from Series 1. At this point, I am developing more in the direction of the hands in Series 2 as they represent a ton of my interests in both artistic concepts and physiological disorders.
   


4. What message do you want your work to convey?
   
   On one level, I try to suggest through line, color and form that people suffering with mental disabilities are really suffering! In fact they are disabled. They are locked in a sort of continuous, never-ending, very agonizing mental hell which in many cases is virtually impossible to escape. The only hope some of these suffers have is to cope, not get worse, and very importantly, not to spread the disorders and discomforts to their loved ones.
   

   On the other hand I want to express my creative talents and make the artwork - on the surface - be beautiful. I do not want my artwork to only convey OCD or physiological disorders. After all, I am an artist not a psychologist.