Ryan Jensen fills 9-foot paintings with landscapes done on location. Here are the challenges, how and why he does it, and...
Click here to see this email on the web |  | Monday, December 5, 2022 | | Painting With Your Entire Body | By Bob Bahr | Share this article:     |  | Ryan Jensen paints on the docks near his home in Northern California.
| A 40 x 60-inch canvas he saw in a local art store lured oil painter Ryan Jensen into the world of big paintings. "I wondered what it would be like to take that outside to paint — how would I even put it on my easel," he recalls. "Well, I'd never know if I didn't try, so I decided that the next time I went in that art store, I was going to get it."
The format was daunting. That's what Jensen liked about it. "If the subject or size intimidates me, I have to identify what I'm afraid of and figure it out," he says. "I feel a rush of adrenaline at the thought of the challenge and I commit to doing it." |  | Ryan Jensen, "Red Boat," 2018, oil, 40 x 60 in., Collection the artist, Plein air
| Jensen knows a little bit about commitment. The child of a graphic designer and a fine art painter, he was a devout draftsman growing up. "There are piles of my sketchbooks at my mom's house," he says. He was also a dedicated athlete in school. But he learned the true meaning of commitment and dedication when he joined the Marine Corps.
| — advertisement — |  | "As a painter, I have a certain discipline that was birthed in the Corps," Jensen says. "I'm not quite sure if anyone understands the dedication that I put forward on my art-making. I look at hundreds of paintings online every day, talk to my mentor, and paint. Just talking about painting gets me really souped up because it's my mission. When I was a Marine, my mission was to be the best Marine I could be — to stay healthy and keep my guys alive. Now my mission is to do a great painting and get better every day at it. If I don't paint a good painting, then I have to learn from it. I'm not allowed to get too discouraged about it. And I'm not allowed to slow down."
|  | Ryan Jensen, "Somewhere in Arcata," 2018, oil, 20 x 16 in., collection the artist, plein air
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Discipline and dedication weren't the only qualities Jensen brought home from the Marine Corps. He says it also honed his observation skills, patience, toughness, and social skills. Only the call and responsibilities of marriage and children dissuaded him from serving out the full 20 years of a military careerist. Luckily, Jensen says he enjoys the love of a supportive wife who championed him both as a Marine and an artist.
Continue reading > | Ryan Jensen has been on the faculty for Plein Air Live (next: March 9-11, 2023) and the Plein Air Convention & Expo (next: Denver, CO, May 21-25, 2023). | — advertisement — |  | Art Marketing Minute | Eric Rhoads addresses how to know whether or not a buyer is honest, and how to prepare for your first plein air painting competition. Listen now > |  | — advertisement — |  |
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