ric conn
visual artistRic Conn is recognized as a leading voice in speaking up about inequality and social issues women often face. In 2020 his message has crossed the globe, and he has been featured on ArtTour International Magazine and Toscana Cultura in Italy for his visual dialog for female empowerment as well as numerous media outlets in USA.
Conn presents a thought-provoking visual narrative with bold textures, masterful use of light, and symbolic imagery. He explores the opposition between reality and perception. His fascination and motivation are amped by realties that appear invisible in our everyday lives, cutting into the core of his subjects’ hearts and exposing hidden emotion. Layers of female forms are captured in each of his paintings, focusing on the essence of women’s courage and beauty.
AS SEEN ON
Ric Conn bio
Ric Conn
An internationally known award-winning expressionist artist, Ric Conn is known for his symbolic female narrative portraits that express the continued oppression of women bringing to light his passion for aiding in seeking equality for everyone. Conn studied art and drawing while finishing his formal education with a degree in Media Technology. Inspired mostly by Toulouse-Lautrec, Edvard Munch, Picasso, Matisse, and the Expressionists, Conn seeks to portray the invisible with the visible, the intangible with the tangible. His work has been recognized for numerous awards, including Best in Show, Face of Queen Anne’s County medal, Top 60 Masters of Contemporary Art, and been featured in many newspaper and magazine articles, as well as interviewed for both local and network on television.
Provocatively exploring subliminal thoughts while challenging his viewers’ senses, Ric Conn has exhibited extensively in the Northeast and in Maryland. Showcased in important private and public collections, Amsterdam Whitney Gallery is proud to shine the spotlight on this contemporary master. His work is featured in many private collections and exhibited in solo and group shows in Baltimore, Columbia, Annapolis, Frederick, Stevensville, and Centreville MD; Washington, D.C.; Manhattan and Chelsea, New York City. Conn’s audience continues to award and honor the art that makes a socially recognizable impact on women.
I never paint a portrait from a photograph, because a photograph doesn’t give enough information about what the person feels. I believe in equality, and I want my work to reflect that. The stories in my paintings are situations that can happen to anyone. I paint them from the female perspective because, unfortunately, women are still mistreated. Since I am a man and the subjects of my paintings are women, I attempt to show equality because the stories can, and sometimes have, happened to me as well.
PORTAFOLIO
i dont matter
tomorrow
not today
used ta doesn’t live here anymore
straight jacket
lead don’t follow
no trespassing
solitaire
thats not my name
i am not alone
a new day
personal space
ball and chain
no return
peeping tom
manic depression
hypocrisy of censorship
ART CRITIQUE
Striking lines and bold knife strokes ignite our senses as mixed media artist, Ric Conn, builds this popping piece that proclaims, without question, his meaning behind “Her Choice.” A spatial element is applied with a green wall and two ominous doors, each one outlined with the gritty texture of white chalk, and filled in with rough strokes of brown, To the left, the entrance marked by a faint cross alludes to what may be contained on the other side, the door to the right blank, leading her deep into an unknown space.
Our subject faces away from us, her expression hidden, this decision is hers alone to make, and we are merely silent witnesses seeking only to understand more of her story and what led to this moment. Her form is carved out roughly, deliberate knife strokes stack and cut through paint, intensifying the sense of emotion.
Conn builds a complex narrative, opening paths of insatiable curiosity, a common style he uses to speak about social and gender issues faced in our societal construct.
– Tiarra Tompkins.