Back in high school, Ryan Shultz was that kid. The one who was always getting into hassles with school administration. Not for misbehavior, but for pushing his rights to skip lunch periods — just to take an extra art class.
He may have been a star on Bravo’s reality show “Work of Art,” but Shultz was also once in our shoes, having attended Northwestern for his graduate studies. Hailing from Libertyville, Ill., the 27-year-old artist was dedicated to his craft from a young age. His mother constantly encouraged his pursuit of art, holding his hand while he explored the artistic world. As an established artist, Shultz is most known for his ironic style of portraying modern youth culture through techniques of classic oil painting.
Fresh with an MFA from Northwestern in art theory and practice, Shultz became one of the 14 contemporary artists on “Work of Art,” contending for a solo show at New York City’s Brooklyn Museum and for a cash prize of $100,000. The show debuted in June.
“Don’t ever be on reality TV shows,” Shultz says, laughing as he recalls his first taste of stardom. “It was really stressful, I’ve never been that stressed out my entire life.”
He attributes the pressure to the time constraints of the show. Transitioning from his usual 500 hours per painting, Shultz had to adjust to churning out art pieces within the show’s given eight-hour time limit. The eight hours encompassed time for sourcing inspiration, obtaining materials and getting hands-on with the piece itself. Since the weekly challenges also comprised sculptures and installation pieces, Shultz also had to step out of his comfort zone in oil painting.
“The worst thing was not being able to listen to music,” Shultz says. “As an artist, it literally hurt my soul.”
Nevertheless, he revels in the show’s publicity. Apart from having people recognize him on the streets, Shultz has also acquired a variety of jobs from high-profile clients.
“People think you’re cool just because you were on a television show, even if you did a bunch of stupid stuff on it,” he says.
The show might have impacted his life as an artist, but he remains steadfast in his artistic style and inspiration. Since being ousted from the show, Shultz has been faithfully continuing his artistic pursuit, along with giving private art lessons to students ranging from children to adults.
After graduating with a BFA from the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Shultz sought to pursue graduate studies. Despite receiving full scholarships to a variety of prestigious art faculties, Shultz settled on Northwestern, based on the harsh critiques he received.
Northwestern Art Theory and Practice professor Lane Relyea was especially critical of Shultz during his interview. Somewhat ironically, Relyea ended up having the greatest impact on Shultz, never failing to give him constructive advice.
“Professor Relyea is brilliant. He’s thinks my paintings are totally stupid — and even tells it to my face over and over again,” Shultz says. “He made me want to go home and cry. But I respect that.”
Relyea describes Shultz as an energetic student, one who participated enthusiastically during the seminars he taught. However, Shultz was equally bold in expressing his skepticism regarding the contemporary art techniques discussed.
“He was a difficult student,” Relyea says. “But Ryan was fiercely independent. I imagine he will be hugely successful.”
Shultz is known for his unique choice of using classical oil painting techniques. Although the majority of NU’s art faculty questioned his decision of using such an old mode of painting, Shultz persevered in his personal style.
“His concerns and interests are all extremely contemporary, yet he chose to use a painting technique that was nearly 200 years old,” Relyea says. “We kept asking him why.”
On the topic of campus life, Shultz describes Evanston as a “true suburban town,” lacking the excitement and vibe of Chicago. Reminiscing about his time on the North Shore, he remembers spending much of his time with friends at MOSAIC, NU’s only housing co-operative. Shultz was also the 11th resident of the Frisbee House, proudly professing the porch of the house as amazing and his favorite place to “chill out.”
“I wasn’t on the team, but I might as well have been their mascot,” the artist jokes.
Professors, housing and education aside, Shultz finally discloses his personal version of his “craziest college experience.”
“Anything that I could tell you, that you could print, well it’s not that exciting,” he says. “Man, there were a couple, but none of them should and could be written down. Northwestern might sue me.”