Ryan Henry Art

Ryan Henry Art My career in journalism kept me from making art consistently. There were years when I didn’t pick up a brush—yet I was happiest when I was painting.
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Today, I’m a full-time artist and owner of a gallery in the tropical beauty of South Padre Island, Texas. I’m often asked how long I’ve been painting. It’s a simple question with a complex answer. Should I say “all my life,” or “about 20 years”? The truth is, my decades-long career in journalism often kept me from making art consistently. There were years when I didn’t pick up a brush—yet my colleagues always noticed that I was at my happiest when I was creating. Today, I’m grateful to be a full-time professional artist living and working in the tropical beauty of South Padre Island, Texas. When I’m not in my studio-gallery, Meridian & Muse Fine Art Gallery, I’m fishing from my kayak in the Laguna Madre, taking reference photos along the shore, or painting en plein air with the salt breeze at my back. My art business is proudly recognized as a "Trusted Art Seller" with The Art Storefronts Organization. That means you can shop with confidence, knowing I stand fully behind the quality and value of my work. Discover original coastal art that speaks to your soul—www.ryanhenryart.com

Check out this eastern screech owl on the old public library book return in Utopia, Texas. He’s one of the miniature bir...
09/24/2026

Check out this eastern screech owl on the old public library book return in Utopia, Texas. He’s one of the miniature bird murals I’m painting this week in the Texas Hill Country.

is this weekend!!!!

And I’m falling behind on my mission to paint 30 birds in Leaky, Concan, and Utopia for their Painted Bird Trail.

How behind? Well… I have finished 15 birds out of the 30.

So not terrible behind. But it’s been a scramble! The last bird must be finished Sunday so I can go home.

Freshly off the easel, this toucan painting is headed to the Gladys Porter Zoo as a donation for their annual Zoofari au...
09/19/2026

Freshly off the easel, this toucan painting is headed to the Gladys Porter Zoo as a donation for their annual Zoofari auction. Please bid high and often. 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the zoo.

My family surprised me with a visit. And my niece Catelyn had told me she wanted one of my sketchbook saved for her. But...
09/17/2026

My family surprised me with a visit. And my niece Catelyn had told me she wanted one of my sketchbook saved for her. But I didn’t have one.

So I made one real quick with a hummingbird on the first page.

The message is that I started the sketchbook but she needs to fill it up.

It’s definitely a nice looking sketch. Don’t you agree?

The painted bird trail is growing! Have you seen these birds yet? (Answer: Probably not yet. I just finished them.)
09/17/2026

The painted bird trail is growing! Have you seen these birds yet? (Answer: Probably not yet. I just finished them.)

Reenacting the Elizabeth Holmes documentary with Frankie and his stuffed chew toy:
09/14/2026

Reenacting the Elizabeth Holmes documentary with Frankie and his stuffed chew toy:

One of the most difficult things for an artist to decide is when to stop.Under many of my paintings, I work with a geome...
09/13/2026

One of the most difficult things for an artist to decide is when to stop.

Under many of my paintings, I work with a geometric abstraction as an underlying composition.

And sometimes it’s that abstraction that works well enough that proceeding to a more literal finish doesn’t feel like progress anymore.

That happened with this hummingbird painting.

One of my guiding principles is “only add enough realism if it’s necessary. Realism has to earn its inclusion.”

And to be fair, this reads like a hummingbird so perhaps it has some realism.

It just seems like it’s enough to me.

As I’m posting this, I’m a few followers short of 600. And! And! And I got my very first business review for this page. ...
09/05/2026

As I’m posting this, I’m a few followers short of 600. And! And! And I got my very first business review for this page. (If you love my work, please give me a review so Facebook can start giving me a star ranking ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️)

Today, I was invited to be a “hired gun” and contribute sweat equity to paint a fish for Maya Hardnett’s breezeway mural...
09/05/2026

Today, I was invited to be a “hired gun” and contribute sweat equity to paint a fish for Maya Hardnett’s breezeway mural that’s coming together on South Padre Island.

Families have sponsored the project, obviously. And this blue marlin gets the Weisfeld tribute. What can I say? The fish loves them and got the name body painted, albeit permanently.

That’s me barefoot to survive the heat.

And signing it couldn’t have happened at a better time. It was six o’clock and time for the art walk to begin! Back to open my art gallery!

Thanks, Maya! MayaMore' Best of luck bringing the mural together.

Address

2500 Padre Boulevard, Suite 7
South Padre Island, TX
78597

Telephone

+19565907012

Website

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