Ryan Driscoll

The dreamy, surreal visions of the talented British artist.

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“Ganymede” (2019).

Welcome to another GAYLETTER,

If only we had Substack when we started the original newsletter — that would have made life easier. Abi and I figured out that we have both written over three novels worth of text over the years of those weekly, event-focused newsletters. We didn’t do it for the money, but we had a lot of fun creating them.

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In this newsletter we spend some time with British artist Ryan Driscoll. His brilliant paintings are truly magical, and we’re thrilled to be able to share them.

Have a great week!

-Tom (and Abi)

P.S. While you’re here, might we suggest you check out The Caftan Chronicles from the endlessly talented Tim Murphy. He has some wonderful long form interviews with all sorts of queer characters from the past and present.

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Ryan Driscoll

“Saints and Sinners” (2019).

TEXT BY TYLER AKERS

All images of artwork courtesy of the artist and Soft Opening, London.

Photography by Theo Christelis.

“No one else uses the technique I use, and they probably shouldn’t”

In the heart of England is Corby, an old steel town, which painter Ryan Driscoll calls “the epitome of the color gray.” Since childhood, Driscoll was forced into the dutiful British pleasure of reading Shakespeare, and despite his dyslexia, fell in love with the stories. Occasional trips to the National Gallery in London inspired his tendency toward the mythological melodrama and old-school flare of the museum’s massive allegorical oil paintings, and when at home, he grew up watching old Hollywood films. “I’ve probably seen Cleopatra about ten times through,” he admits. Modeling for his own paintings, Driscoll has become something of a performer, assuming a range of characters — monsters, witches, warriors, queens, fairies, deities. It’s fantasy through a queer lens, somehow sweet but also dry, outrageous and campy at the same time as it’s gentle and unrelentingly romantic. Cindy Sherman meets William Blake, Michael Powell meets Max Ernst, Bronzino meets Joseph Campbell — Driscoll offers his own spin on traditional iterations of the hero and villain, becoming a shape-shifter for an assembly of elegantly surreal dramatizations.

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🍑🧚🏽‍♂️✌🏼💅🏽 🪐 ⚡️