Hello! I am Kate Ryan, a painter, snowboard instructor, preschool teacher and lover of all artistic mediums.
I was born in Boston, MA and I grew up in the suburbs right outside of the city but found my heart in Summit County, Colorado working at a school focused heavily on self expression through art. My love for working with children in the arts has always been an integral part of who I am.
Starting with a simple Crayola Art Kit I had as a child I quickly became fascinated by the vast world of tools and artistic techniques. My mixed media exploration has influenced me to experiment with all different canvases, fabrics and wood products. I am constantly challenging myself and asking "can this be painted?"
I am a self-taught artist and my work has evolved through making mistakes, learning what works for me and teaching the Reggio Emilia Philosophy to preschoolers.
This philosophy embraces the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through meaningful artistic exploration that unearths concepts in a supportive, enriching atmosphere based on the interests of the children through a self-guided curriculum.
In 2013 I fell in love with the Reggio way & Loris Malaguzzi’s teachings which celebrate the child, creativity and most importantly, long term projects as vehicles for learning. My inspiration also comes directly from the places I have visited, music and my life long passion of snowboarding.
I am currently studying Early Childhood Education and integrating art into my life as my side hussle! My ultimate goal is to continue teaching and also focusing on my work in the ever growing ski industry! I would love to have my artwork someday impact the ladies of the snowboard world in designing my own snowboard decks! Please check out my classroom & curriculum page to see my learning space designs and photos of past learning explorations from my own Reggio classroom.
I currently sell a selection of my artwork at Ketchikan Dry Goods in Ketchikan, Alaska year round. I work the New England Open Markets located in downtown Boston and South Boston helping and learning the ropes from my long time friend, Jerm. Most recently I featured my art on the cover of an album for the song "Apples" for my long time friend and musical artist Doug Trasher who resides in Nashville, TN.
The 2019 single cover for "Apples" available now to see and play on iTunes! I make it both a goal and a priority to display my artwork locally whenever possible.
If something speaks to you here please do not hesitate to send me an email!