BFA in Studio Arts Tufts University together with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
MFA in Game Development Academy of Art University, San Francisco.

 
Ryan is a multi-disciplined digital and traditional artist with a focus on stylized character and prop design concept art. Their professional career has primarily consisted of working in the game, film, and publication industry, illustrating characters, props, backgrounds, and storyboards for a variety of different narrative driven projects. Although Ryan has a deep love for animation, stylized characters and video games, they have also been captivated by traditional approaches to realism portraiture. Much like their stylized characters, Ry’s goal is to tell stories through character and portrait designs, oftentimes striving to portray a disposition that subtly reveals the weight and complexities of an individual’s life. Currently, Ryan is working on children’s book illustrations, an upcoming young adult comic, and has been accepted into the Florence Academy of Art where they will continue their pursuit of mastering the techniques of traditional realism.
Ry has immense appreciation for the instructors and mentors who have aided their artistic journey such as Brian Hess, Jason Weesner, Carol Peebles, and Saskia Ozols. 

 

LYNN PARKER (Artist’s Circle)

Lynn Parker is a retired child psychologist, who during her psychology career pursued her love of the visual arts.  Studying color, line, and form was a kind of meditation, which returned balance to her life. Her first interest was in the ancient art of iconography studying with iconographer, Raymond Calvert.  Drawing from life became her passion and Lynn immersed herself in portrait and figure drawing, studying at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art and with Carol Peebles as a member of the Blue Easel Club.   She has been honored to also study with Jonathan Hodge, Patti Adams, Alan Flattmann, Auseklis Ozols and Saskia Ozols.  Lynn occasionally paints in oil, however, her works are primarily in pastel and charcoal, painting from life whenever possible. Lynn continues to write icons as part of her spiritual journey, currently studying with Daniel Neculae. Lynn is a Signature member of the Degas Pastel Society and a Signature member of the Pastel Society of America (PSA). Her work has been shown in local and national exhibitions.

ANNE E. WANNER (Artist’s Circle)

Bachelor of Liberal Arts Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio

Master of Landscape Architecture, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Anne is a retired Landscape Architect and City Planner from Ohio. During her career she designed several city pocket parks and residential landscape plans. As a City Planner she was responsible for the project management of several large-scale public and private projects.

After moving to New Orleans In 2014, she decided to pursue a new artistic direction at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. Excellent instructors such as Carol Peebles, Billy Solitario, Kathleen Matthews, and Jean Cassels taught her introductory skills in drawing and painting.  The progressive learning style of the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts was vital to her artistic development. The Blue Easel Club, directed by Carol Peebles, continues to give Anne advancement in Classical Observational Drawing.

About five years ago she began the study of plein air painting with Claude Ellender and Saskia Ozols. The beauty of painting outdoors and documenting nature via a paintbrush is a continued passion for Anne. Thru the technological advancements of long-distance learning, Anne was also able to participate in a wonderful array of color theory classes with colorist Camille Prezwodek. Additional mentors and instructors in Anne’s Art Journey include Robert Labranche and Lyn Taylor of Abbey Art Works, and MaryAnn Bonera of MBonera Artworks. All the talented people listed provide steady mentorship, instruction and critique to which Anne is eternally grateful as she continues to practice and learn. 

Presently, Anne works in oils, acrylic and charcoal, but has occasionally dabbled in various collage experiments. For Anne, color is a continued way to experiment with the mood of a landscape and the overall message of an artwork.

Anne is also a swim coach at The Pelican Athletic Club and remains active in the open water and triathlon community.  She is married Todd Wanner and together they have two children. The family enjoys spending time participating in various charitable causes with their Airstream RV turned food truck.  You can see them every year at the New Orleans Po-Boy Fest, Hogs for the Cause, and several other local charity food events. 

Looking ahead, Anne plans to continue to practice her craft of expressing gratitude with drawing and painting.