An Eye for Design

When Robert Ryan was in kindergarten, his teacher asked his class to draw a duck. While the rest of the kids sketched out the beak-billed animal in crayon, Ryan drew a T-shirt with a duck on it instead, which instantly drew the ire of his classmates.

“The guy next to me got mad and told the teacher that I hadn’t drawn a duck! She came over and said, ‘Yeah, he did draw a duck. It’s on the T-shirt,’” says Ryan. “I guess even back then, I was trying to think outside of the box.”

As the owner of design firm Render DC Fine Art, Ryan is used to pushing boundaries. His company does everything from making custom art for a business or home to photographing high-end weddings and parties. He has even photographed shindigs for Dragons’ Den judge Brett Wilson and for R&B singer Rihanna.

For his latest project, Ryan is creating all the store art for Püsch, a Calgary-based clothing company with retail locations in Market Mall, CrossIron Mills, Chinook Centre (which opens later this fall) as well as West Edmonton Mall.

In February, Ryan heard that Püsch wanted a new look for its stores to tell shoppers about the company’s 15-year history as a local label whose clothes are sold worldwide. So, he approached them with some ideas.

This summer, the Market Mall location became the first store to be filled with Ryan’s art. Using a process similar to silkscreening, he printed photos from Püsch’s past onto glossy aluminum plates displayed in the store’s change rooms. The photos include early clothing sketches and drafts of the company’s logo.

Ryan also built mannequins, an armoire and other funky clothing displays. Each item is made from steel and 130-year-old wood that Ryan salvaged from an abandoned barn. The two materials contrast with one another, creating a funky look that is both rustic and modern.

“I wanted to use materials that tell the story of where Püsch came from and where they are going,” he says.
Ryan is certainly familiar with Püsch’s story. He used to design clothing for the company, hammering out 30 to 40 illustrations every month that appeared on T-shirts and hoodies.

“My parents always told me I was the next Tommy Hilfiger,” he says. “I remember thinking, ‘Are you serious? I hope not. I’d rather be the next Burton.’”

Ryan, 35, has always been infatuated by fashion. Throughout his 20s, he worked at a number of print shops, putting logos and decals on stuff like coffee mugs and wind pants. When he wasn’t working, Ryan designed clothes inspired by skate and snowboarding culture, and used the print shops’ equipment to pump out funky attire he sold to friends. Eventually, he parlayed those skills into making logos for ad agencies and businesses within Calgary’s club scene.

Three years ago, Ryan stopped designing clothes for Püsch to focus on photography and to make the move into custom-made art. He is now looking forward to designing crazy-cool art projects for homes and businesses.

“If I can create inspiration through an image, so be it,” he adds.

For information on Robert Ryan, go to renderdc.com