“Why chefs?” I asked. Kate explained that a business acquaintance of her husband had seen some of Kate’s work, and asked her to do a portrait style painting of a chef for her diningroom. When Kate delivered the finished piece, the woman ordered two more, and the “Chef Series” emerged. As part of the creative process, Kate invents stories about each of the chefs. Her husband, Scott Ryckman, who works for a consulting firm, is constantly amazed at the continuous flow of creativity that spontaneously bubbles out of his artistic partner.

It has been ever thus. Kate’s mother, Wendy Thompson, was an artist too, “always covered in paint”. Her earliest report cards encouraged Kate to pursue her art, and in grade 2 she was the illustrator for a schoolmate’s book about cats being friends. Kate grew up in Dunrobin and pursued art and photography at high school in Kanata. She graduated from Sheridan College with a diploma in Applied Photography, because she knew her mother could mentor her as a visual artist. She has also completed numerous courses in fine art and photography at the Ottawa School of Art and Humber College.

When one door closes…

Kate moved to Montreal in 2000 to enable her husband to pursue his career, and had trouble finding a job as a unilingual Anglophone. Instead, she found the four-story Loomis and Toles art supply store. “It was game over — I started painting and I haven’t stopped since.” She still loves photography, but she loves the colour and the texture and the feel, the “juicy side” of paints even more.

When the couple moved back to Ottawa in 2001, Kate found a job at Wallack’s Art Supply store in the Glebe, eventually becoming the store manager. The environment was ideal for a budding young artist. She and her colleagues were encouraged to experiment, and they generated artwork to showcase products. She was greatly influenced by talented staff and customers, and learned to never be afraid to try new things. What a great lesson. She also learned not to be intimidated by the retail side of art, which is another essential lesson for every artist.

After her mother was diagnosed with leukemia, Kate invested five years in caring for her and building an even closer relationship with her. In retrospect, she learned many important lessons in the process. She is heeding her mother’s admonition, “You have one life — make the most of it!” For Ryckman, family comes first. Her website clearly states her second priority — “Art matters. Where there is no art, there is no culture.” Kate’s inventiveness and humour result in an artistic contribution that is heart-warming, playful, colourful, imaginative and fun.

Kate’s mom also admonished her to “get your art out on other people’s walls”. Fortunately Kate really enjoys being at art shows, meeting people, and inviting feedback. She especially appreciates the enthusiastic support she receives from Scott and both their extended families.

Her mother’s illness caused another change in Kate’s artistic pursuits. After careful analysis of the relative health risks between oil paints and acrylics, Kate has switched to acrylics. Her concern led me to do a little web research, and I would encourage all artists to familiarize themselves with the hazards of working with the various substances they use in their artwork. There is a lot of information available by simply doing a Google search on “health hazards” and including the words “art supplies”. A particularly useful site is provided by the city of Tucson, AZ, at www.tucsonaz.gov/arthazards, including “A Searchable Database of Health & Safety Information for Artists”.

My Little Masterpiece

When the Ryckmans decided to start a family, they wanted a closer sense of community, so they bought a house in Carp that provides Scott and his dad ample opportunity to hone their renovation skills. Kate achieved her goal of becoming a mom 16 months ago when she gave birth to their daughter Paisley, and she is expecting another baby at the end of June. When I ask her how she finds time to paint, she shows me her strategically located studio and admits that it takes a lot of organization and planning.

Fortunately Kate Ryckman is very resourceful, and very energetic. When friends and friends of friends saw the playful paintings she created as baby shower gifts and to decorate Paisley’s room, they started asking her to create paintings for their own children’s nurseries. Kate recognised an opportunity and conceived a new artistic endeavour. At www.mylittlemasterpiece.blogspot.com, she invites you to choose from one of her original designs or contact her to commission a painting designed specifically for your little masterpiece. She loves working with customers to devise an original work tailored specifically to their interests and tastes.

Warm up your winter with a stop at the 3 Yellow Tulips Art Shoppe at 2518 County Rd. 29 N in Pakenham (624–5932) to enjoy Kate Ryckman’s quirky, imaginative, humourous art. Preview her art at www.kateryckmanart.blogspot.com. Some of the snow should be gone by the last weekend of May, May 30–June 1, in time to look for Kate’s work at the annual Burnstown “Affair of the Arts”. Kate would love to discuss a commission with you by phone at 839–0946 or by email at katemryckman@gmail.com.