About me

artistic approach – inspiration – biography - exhibitions

Instagram: RyeWatts

Artistic Approach

I'm Rye Watts, a self-taught oil and oil pastel artist exploring symbolism and narrative in our modern  world.

My inspiration comes from nature, history, and the human condition, drawing from memories and private thoughts surrounding ethics, environmental concerns, identity, fear, and nostalgia.

I enjoy exploring innovations in value and perspective to create spatial depth in my paintings and experimenting with figure positioning, light, and blending to achieve movement and energy.

I also enjoy woodworking and clay sculpting. Several of my paintings are painted directly into handmade wood or clay frames.

Inspiration

Quiet Nature

My latest series, Quiet Nature, is an ongoing body of work exploring the human connection with our planet. The series examines balance, growth, and identity. The minimalist composition and split lighting help to weigh the calm of existing as one with my natural surroundings against my ongoing struggle to live in the moment. These oil paintings are created on stretched cotton canvas or linen panels in custom frames and range in size from 12x12" to 24x36".

Cats

My Cats series (2024-2025) explores my ongoing struggle with simultaneously existing in both earthly and spiritual worlds. The series explores questions of identity, growth, and suffering, using cats as a lens for self-reflection.

The recurring motif of the cat is not only an animal but a spiritual alter-ego, embodying traits of independence, mystery, and resilience—qualities that mirror my own search for balance. The oil paintings are created on stretched canvas or Masonite ranging in size from 5x7" to 18x24."

Mini Narratives

The Mini Narratives series (2024-2025) is a body of work examining my perception of the human race, my place within it, and which battles I choose to join. In a whimsical way, often seasoned with humor or satire, these small works use animals and human figures composed in a manner of a surrealistic perception, much like memories. Each oil painting in the Mini Narratives series is created on basswood or Masonite panels in sizes ranging from 5x7" to 8x8".

Women

Every now and then, I opt to paint the human figure, most often as a form of self-reflection. My Women series (2024-2025) examines turning points throughout my life, particularly the experience of being female in college, graduate school, and beyond. These oil paintings are created on stretched canvas or Masonite panel and range in size from 5x7" to 18x24".

Child’s Play

The Child's Play series (2023) explores the complex interplay of nostalgia, comfort, and fear through the lens of childlike imagination. In this series, animals and anthropomorphic toys are transformed into vivid characters that evoke both innocence and uncertainty, reflecting the dual nature of childhood experiences.

Each piece combines whimsical, playful imagery with subtle undercurrents of darker, more unsettling emotions. Oil paintings in the Child’s Play series are created on stretched canvas ranging in size from 6x6" to 24x24.

I want my art to spark introspection. My work is about creating moments to embrace our quirks, our joys, our hardships, to connect with and celebrate our inner landscapes.

Some artists that inspire me:

Hieronymus Bosch, M.C. Escher, J.J. Grandville, Frida Khalo, John Tenniel, Fra Angelico, Abraham Teniers, Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, Diego Rivera, Christina Quarles, David Teniers de Jonge, Georg Schrimpf, Albrecht Dürer.

Biography

Rye Watts is a self-taught oil and oil pastel artist, born and raised in the midwestern U.S., whose narrative oil paintings combine muted colors, personal expression, and symbolism to create dreamlike compositions. Her work is autobiographical, depicting her own experiences and exploring themes of ethics, identity, and the human condition.

Having obtained her Master of Science degree, much of Rye’s inspiration comes from the biological sciences, philosophy, and natural history. She explores innovations in value and perspective to create spatial depth in her paintings and experiments with figure positioning, light, and blending to achieve movement and energy.

Rye began painting at a young age and continued her passion for art while pursuing her education in the sciences. Her training in chemistry and anatomy enrich her understanding of oils, pigments, and figure representation.

Rye's studio is located in Portland, Oregon. Her work has been shown in numerous Pacific Northwest galleries, including Ford Gallery PDX, Soliloquy Fine Arts, Shockboxx Gallery, and Brassworks Gallery. She has provided work for collectors in many areas of the world, including the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and Spain.

Exhibitions and Showcases