A Conversation with Painter Mike Ryczek
Mike Ryczek, Taipei, Taiwan / 4.2.22 / 11:33am, oil on wood panel, 2022. Courtesy of the artist.
Mike Ryczek is a talented Massachusetts-based painter who makes compelling images. A graduate of Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Ryczek has exhibited his work in venues from Los Angeles to New York. In 2022 he earned a Mass Cultural Council Painting Fellowship, in 2025 he was selected for Affordable Art Fair’s Boston edition, and in 2026 he was a finalist for the Prisma Art Prize in Rome. Blending realism and abstraction, Ryczek’s paintings are distinctive for their decisive brushwork and sumptuous surfaces. They are lush, glossy, and mesmerizing.
Mike Ryczek, Possession, oil on canvas, 2025. Courtesy of the artist.
Ryczek’s paintings are the product of deep research and repeated studies. Using both personal and found photography as well as a rich drawing practice, he builds the foundations for his artwork. For one series of paintings titled Surveillance, he utilized camera footage sourced online. For another series titled Resting Place he explored cemetery architecture in depth.
Describing his process, the painter explains, “I generally work in series, and the approach behind each one varies. They usually start with compiling photos I have taken or found online, followed by loose sketches, broader goals for the series, and smaller notes that connect the drawings to those intentions. For a series based on a trip to Seoul, I organized my own photographs into categories and used Photoshop collages as references. My Surveillance series involved sorting through thousands of screenshots from surveillance cameras, while for Resting Place I built replicas of tombs from found images, placed them in constructed environments, photographed them, and used those images as source material for the paintings.”
One of the underpinnings that makes Ryczek’s work so appealing is the compositional structure behind them. It is evident in every painting that there is careful thought and construction at play. Every stroke of the brush feels thoughtful in its placement and layering. Beyond the research that comes before each series, Ryczek is also a consummate technician.
Mikę Ryczek, Tehran, Iran / 2.1.21 / 6:27am, oil on linen mounted to wood panel, 2021. Courtesy of the artist.
Drawing is an integral element of his practice as a painter. His hand is specific, quick, and clear. Reflecting on this element of his work, the artist says, “Historically, my sketchbook was mostly used for notes and small thumbnails, and I’d move from those into gridding out paintings with no large preparatory sketches. For Resting Place, I did much more sketching of imagery that I didn’t intend to include in the paintings, creating a kind of mood board that I could draw on for inspiration. I treated those sketches as pieces that stood on their own and could inspire me when I felt stuck. I also made a number of large charcoal drawings of the tombs to work through ideas quickly before painting. Charcoal has a loose, oil paint-like quality that helps me experiment with atmosphere, while small-scale pencil sketches force me to make hard decisions about composition and subject matter. I like the idea of starting from a molecular, defined point and later opening it up into something dreamier with charcoal and paint.”
A scan from one of Mike Ryczek’s sketchbooks. Courtesy of the artist.
Ryczek’s paintings are also notable for their surfaces. Often richly varnished, they tend to be slick and refined. This treatment also results in artworks that are deep and vivid.
Asked about how he varnishes and completes his work, Ryczek states, “To be honest, I still struggle with how I want the finish on my paintings to look. When I work with oil—and I usually do—it feels like nothing but the glossiest varnish will do to bring them to life, but I dislike how gloss can obscure the painting if it isn’t lit and angled perfectly. I love a minimal float frame, but I’ve often felt that the finished work looked boxier and glossier than I wanted. I value fine craftsmanship, but I also want my paintings to feel alive, honest, and potent without all the precious trimmings of classical oil painting. It’s a conundrum.”
Mike Ryczek, Sapporo, Japan / 3.29.20 / 11:53am, oil and pencil on linen panel, 2021. Courtesy of the artist.
In terms of content and reception, truth and accessibility are key values for Ryczek. Considering what he hopes viewers experience when looking at his images, he says, “Currently, I want viewers to feel the way I do when I encounter work that stops me cold: as though they’re being drawn into a world they want to sit inside and absorb. I hope the paintings connect with some buried part of their childhood and reveal something they haven’t seen expressed so closely before. I want enough technical skill to draw people in, but not so much contrivance that it prevents an emotional connection. I don’t want to push people away with contemporary art pretension, and I’d rather make something honest that no one cares about than have people love work that doesn’t feel true to who I am and the things I care about.”
Mike Ryczek at work in his studio. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Mike Ryczek crafts paintings that have a tendency to make one want to pick up a brush. They inspire viewers to look closely and revel in their details. A gifted artist who has made his career in the region, Ryzcek is a skilled and productive individual whose practice and paintings are impressive. Looking forward, Ryczek will be featured in a two person show alongside Catherine Graffam at 13Forest Gallery in 2027. It will be exciting to see what is next for this great painter.
Learn more about Mike Ryczek at www.mryczek.com, or follow him on Instagram at @m_ryczek. 13Forest Gallery also has a great video profile of the artist on Vimeo and readers can sign up for the artist’s mailing list at https://mryczek.com/subscribe/
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