Calypso Art Gallery

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

Weldon Ryan works on a carnival piece he'll be taking to NYC for a show.

Weldon Ryan and his wife Richlin Burnett-Ryan set out to open their own art gallery after one gallery wasn’t working out for them. Calypso Fine Art Gallery opened May 21 in Marvin’s Garden.

For Ryan having his own gallery allows him to work on his paintings during late hours into the night. Having his own gallery gives him the opportunity to have his own voice for once.

Coming from a West Indies background the gallery has an eclectic style of art. The gallery walls are filled with pops of color from all the artwork hanging on the plain white walls. The husband-wife duo decided on white walls to have a very clean look so that artists work wouldn’t be lost.

After 18 years in New York City law enforcement and when not with family, Ryan is now able to put time into his paintings. In earlier years, Ryan trained as an illustrated artist and later became a detective and forensic artist for the NYC Police Department. Currently Ryan is preparing for an art show in NYC. The pieces he will be bringing to the NYC show are all caribbean based paintings from Carnival.

Burnett-Ryan’s artwork isn’t quite like her husbands. She comes from a graphic design background and since owning the gallery she’s finally able to produce her own work. Burnett-Ryan enjoys her style of expressionistic and is always switching it up by using mixed mediums. When Doreen Hardie was asked to be the guest artist at the gallery she was surprised and please. She recently was ready to give up on her art after not finding a gallery to hang her work. Hardie primarily focused on her Jamaican background for her pieces but once discovering Ravine Gardens in Palatka her style quickly focused on the peace the gardens brought to her soul. Hardie was taught by an artist during her years in Washington D.C. and was inspired by Claude Monet.

Hardie laughed as she remembers the time she met Ryan in a NYC gallery where he was having an art show. It wasn’t until they were both involved with the Palm Coast Art League that she remembered she’d met Ryan.

Although time consuming and costly to own a gallery, the duo want to be able to continue to support artists and allow it as an opportunity for others to display their work.