“Into the Deep End”: Part 3 of the (Massive) Ryan Henry Ward Interview!

          

Before I begin the next exciting part of my extensive interview with noted Seattle muralist Ryan Henry Ward, I wanted to confront something head on. In the last few months there has been a bit of talk about whether Ryan Henry Ward’s artwork is too happy, too friendly or even too “gooey” as some have suggested. I’ve read many of these opinions and I’ll be totally honest with every one of you. I’ve never been able to see the merit in or been able to truly understand these criticisms.

From the very first time we had a show together, in my view, there has always been something deeper, even haunting in the most humorous of Henry’s paintings. I will even go out on a limb and say that I think most viewers of his work, especially those of the same generation as the artist and younger, will agree that there is always something more than the obvious just bubbling under the surface of even the most deceptively sugary-sweet looking murals or gallery paintings by this man. I believe that many of those that find his work to be altogether too simplistic or too sweet are stopping their interaction with his work at the most cursory of levels and miss the darker, deeper subtexts that are clear to the rest of us who also like his work, but who see much more in it than even some of the most-educated appear to comprehend.

In preparation, I want say that the next two parts of this interview should put to rest the idea that Ryan “Henry” Ward is a vapid artist who makes overly happy work because there is nothing going on that is any deeper. Ward is no Bob Ross, whom Ryan Ward used to feign illness as a child so he could watch on PBS.

I also wanted to add a few things about this particular interview/article, the artist and I have both agreed that there are just a very few things that because they were too dark should be cleaned up, so to speak. In particular one event has been subtly modified and names may or may not have been changed to protect the innocent.

You’ll see as you read on that this isn’t the type of Artist’s interview that you are used to reading and it gets darker still in the next episode. I also believe that like me–you will be amazed at how honest, funny, open and candid Mr. Ryan Henry Ward has been about a period that while very important and defining to the rest of his career, could not have been easy to live through. I hope you will read this interview with an open mind, that you will not judge too harshly and that above all else you will enjoy this travel story into the sometimes dark mind of a great artist.

Ryan Henry Ward: This is the story! This is how it started. This is the point at which it all went wrong for a time and became a rather bizarre set of events. A lot of different things came together at once that brought on what I have since referred to as the “crisis.”

Looking back, I realize that at this time (read previous parts of the Interview to find out what came before. Links are at the bottom of the page) that what was happening with my art was kind of getting to me and my imagination began to go on long walks by the river, so to speak.

Xavier: I remember one night after an Orange Splot opening that you were all excited, almost agitated and you were talking about how great it would be if you had a major nemesis. An Anti-Henry so to speak!

Ryan Henry Ward: Yes, I think that was part of the creation of all of this, it was like I started imagining this other part of myself. The darker part of myself was beginning to come out and play in the light. Kind of the same way that “Henry” is always playing. This character came to be known as “Wilbur” and these two personas in my imagination were kind of at odds with each other. Wilbur hates Henry, but Henry didn’t even know that Wilbur existed. That was kind of the story and I wanted to take this thing that was happening in my imagination and play it out in real life to see what would happen. And so I started to do that. This darker side of myself started to explore the world at times when Henry wasn’t doing his thing. And at this point it started to create a kind of artistic split personality that I thought I was in complete control of.

Xavier: So tell me about Wilbur?

Ryan Henry Ward: (Evil chuckle) Wilbur is basically the destructive instinct that we all have within ourselves. He is the trickster and being an artist it is often just as important to tear things down as it is to build them up–they are part of the same process. Often you have to tear things down in order to create–but I had begun to turn these two urges into distinct and separate characters that were playing themselves out in the world. And it got kind of hard to sort things out at times.

Xavier: You mean figuring out which character was in control at what time? Since, ultimately they were both you–right?

Ryan Henry Ward: Exactly! And a lot of what I did at this point I did because I thought it was fun. It was funny! I thought it would be great to have this arch nemesis out there in the world who hated my work. Who was trying to make sure that it didn’t happen, etc. Luckily, however, he never got too out of control–he was mostly just a great creation who I spoke about to friends and who existed in my imagination.

Xavier: But other things were brewing there, weren’t they?

Ryan Henry Ward: Yeah, other things started happening in my mind which were perhaps more dark and ominous.

Xavier: Tell me about this Woody Allen thing, how does he fit into the story?

Ryan Henry Ward: Okay, let’s see, where should I start…

Xavier: (Here, Henry paused for a moment, then looking me intently in the eyes, he continued with his story.)

Ryan Henry Ward: For awhile I really though that Woody Allen was making his next movie, and I believed that he had bought all of the cameras in Seattle and that they were now posted all over the city, and that he bought a bunch of other ones and that he was making a movie about me. That I was the lead character in a movie that he was making that I didn’t even know that I was in. So it was like a reality show in which none of the characters knew they were being recorded.

Xavier: So a bit like Jim Carrey in the “Truman Show?”

Ryan Henry Ward: Yeah, like the “Truman Show” thing was going on, but in this case no one else knew either! None of my friends new, no one did! It was like some corporate enterprise that was making this movie and they weren’t letting anybody know they were doing it! So no one knew this was going on–but then I manage to figure it out!

Like I solved it, I figured it all out! I saw the clues leading up to this logical conclusion. There were clues all around me in a variety of media and formats that all came together to prove to me that this idea was correct.

Xavier: Tell me a bit about that. What kind of clues are we talking about?

Ryan Henry Ward: Like magazines in the stores–there was this article on Woody Allen and he was talking about wanting to do something new that he had never done before and wanted to find someone unlike anybody he had worked with before. I can’t really remember the interview anymore, if I ever even read it completely, but it was absolutely like he was talking about me–I knew he was describing me. And there were other magazines on the shelf celebrating someone named, “King Henry.”

Xavier: Like your paintings of King Henry of the Earth Party (KHOTEP)…

Ryan Henry Ward: Exactly, so I thought that Woody Allen was putting props in front of me for me to respond and react to. And because I knew what was happening I decided that I was going to f*ck with his plans. But I wasn’t saying anything to anyone, but I started behaving and believing that I was in a Woody Allen movie. I started making fun of Woody Allen…

Xavier: Like out loud? Presumably so that he could hear you?

Ryan Henry Ward: Exactly! Then I would start making jokes about Woody Allen movies. I decided that I would play along. And then it got to a point where things suddenly changed.

Xavier: Like the tenor of the situation and your reactions to things suddenly changed?

Ryan Henry Ward: Yes. And this was the first time I publicly lost control. I was at Golden Gardens Dog Park with a couple of friends and we were sitting around a picnic table having a conversation and it all lead up to me deciding that I was going to blow this movie’s cover. I decided that this movie needed to end now, because the worst thing about a Woody Allen Movie is that they often drag on just a little too long!

I ran out into the middle of this dog park and there were lots of people there and I started yelling that I was “King Henry of the Earth Party!” That, “I did it mountain man style!” I hollered, “Did it happen on the East! Did it happen on the West! Was it a rumble in the jungle! How did it happen?” I was making no sense!

Xavier: What exactly were you talking about?

Ryan Henry Ward: I was referring to this idea I had had about making the world into a non-stop art festival, when I was much younger!

Xavier: So, let’s stop for a moment and recap. You were starting to see things as almost morality tales, but with a strong sense of unease and a fair dose of paranoia and at this same time you came to believe that Woody Allen or some unseen force was watching you, recording your every move and leaving clues for you to try and figure out what was going on?

Ryan Henry Ward: Yup! Now, my friend Wes grabbed me in the middle of this rant and I was still thinking that I was in this movie and he drove me to my friend Josiah’s house because he thought, “sh*t, we need help!” This is when things started to get really weird. At this point, all of our phones rang at the same time! We all opened them up and they all said, “333.” This was very strange, there were three of us, three phones rang, they all rang three times and they all read, “333!”

So I thought this meant something.

And this really happened; the other two who were there have since confirmed that this really happened. Later I found out that this had happened to a lot of people–not just us. But I took it personally. This is when things shifted and I thought there was something dark and possibly diabolically evil about what was happening to me.

And.

I wanted this to be over.

I wanted this little movie-game to be over.

Now!

So I went down to the water and tried to drown myself, Because I thought that would make this stop. I figured that Woody Allen, or whoever was behind the cameras would go okay, okay okay! Stop! Stop the cameras! Stop everything!

Xavier: Where was this? Set the scene.

Ryan Henry Ward: Gas Works Park, where I was living at the time in an old camper. So, I wanted this movie-making to be over, and I was telling Wes that I just wanted to go to sleep–take me to my camper, and I went into the camper with Merlin my dog and somebody knocked on my door, and it was this homeless guy and I knew it had something to do with Woody Allen.

So my dog Merlin and I ran over to the water and Wes was following me.

I yelled out over and over, “Stop the f*cking cameras! Stop the f*cking cameras!”

And I grabbed my dog, but Wes grabbed me hard and held me back, yelling at me to stop! It was very intense! I knew at that moment that something was very wrong and I needed to just get away! And that’s exactly what I did…

Next week: The Exciting conclusion to Ryan’s entry into the Deep End and we finally see the light and a bit of hope!

Part one of the Interview: http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlearts/archives/207050.asp

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