Michael Ryan Michael Ryan was born in Pearl River, New York. He started his formal training at the age of 19. He attended several prestigious art academies in New York City on scholarship, where he also studied and copied in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In both his early and current work, the marvellous intensity with which he perceives his surroundings is evident. His sketchbook/ camera or always with him to record sudden inspiration and to write text that describes the mood, feeling and his emotional response. This reinforces the impression of spontaneity and direct painting. In 1980, while finishing his studies, Michael worked nights as a waiter at a New York French restaurant. His life took a sudden turn when he met two Dutch businessmen visiting the restaurant. One was an art collector who together with three friends became his sponsors and Michael’s artistic career had begun. In 1984 the ING Bank Collection began to amass his work. The Collection now contains 137 works by his hand. “In my paintings I attempt to translate the emotion aroused in me by the impact of my visual observations using color relationships, light, form and composition.”