BIOGRAPHY - Ryan J. Vojir (Born 1975)

A Retro-impressionist oil painter who has en plein air oil painted on five of seven continents thus far and captured cityscapes of dozens of different cities.

Artistically inclined from childhood, he graduated from Ohio State (BID) and Georgia Tech (MS) in Industrial Design, which included sketching, drafting, rendering, and art history courses. He then mixed things up by serving in the Marines and flying helicopters. While visiting Chicago in 2002, he entered Hildt Galleries (in the Drake Hotel), and an immense appreciation for impressionist paintings awoken. There, off to the side, measuring only about the size of a piece of paper and surrounded by other larger, less impressive paintings, was a gem of the Parisian streets painted by Edouard Cortes in the early 20th century.

That encounter with one tiny painting ignited his interest in studying the Impressionists, especially Caillebotte (perhaps the original urban impressionist), and Arntzenius, Hassam, Bellows, and Cortes. He has visited the famed Musée d'Orsay, MuMa in Le Havre, the Russian Hermitage, countless visits to the Met in NYC, and many other museums and galleries to study works and continue to refine his technique.

Since 2002, he has 'allegedly' trespassed, climbed on roofs, and played chicken with cars and trains to capture views of cities in our times—moments that will display for generations to come what things looked like in the 21st century. His work has been included in several shows over the years, including the famous Salmagundi Club in NYC.