- February 4, 2025
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Richlin Burnett-Ryan and Weldon Ryan are showcasing their art at the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center through March 11. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Richlin Burnett-Ryan and her piece, "Diva Diana." Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Weldon Ryan and his piece, "Tongue and Flag." Photo by Jarleene Almenas
"Sydney FB" by Richlin Burnett-Ryan and "De Two Ah Dem I" by Weldon Ryan. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
For Palm Coast residents Richlin Burnett-Ryan and Weldon Ryan, art is an outlet to explore culture, community and color.
Art has been a constant presence in the couple's life. Ryan went to high school for art in New York, and Burnett-Ryan spent her Sundays at the Brooklyn Museum taking art classes during a stint in her academic career.
Art was also what brought them together, as Ryan first spotted his now-wife working at an Urban Outfitters in 1987. Once he mustered up the courage, he left her a card featuring an example of his work.
"I was blown away by the artwork," Ryan said. "I was like, 'Wow, this is amazing art. That evening, I went out with a group of my coworkers and we were at dinner, and all I was doing is looking at the card all night."
She called him on the phone that same night, and the pair talked until the early morning. They had so much in common, Ryan said — art, music, family. They both came from big West Indian families, he from Trinidad, and she from Guyana.
Now, over almost 40 years later, the husband and wife are showcasing their art in an exhibition at the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center. The exhibition, titled "The Dynamic Duo, Partners in Art" opened at the PAC's gallery on Feb. 1, and will run through March 11.
This will be their first show since the couple closed its gallery in Bunnell, Calypso Fine Art. An artist reception will be held on Feb. 8, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
The PAC reopened in December 2024 following a nine-month closure caused by a fire in the theater. At the time of the fire last March, the PAC had recently celebrated its reopening following a $1.7 million renovation over an 18-month period.
Part of the renovation included a revamped art gallery space.
A space now filled with 27 vibrant pieces of Ryan's figurative realism and Burnette-Ryan's abstract expressionist and figurative art.
Much of Ryan's work is inspired by the Caribbean Carnival.
"I grew up in the Bronx, and I missed on my culture," he said. "The whole culture of Caribbean people, and for me, forever I wanted to latch onto my culture — the Trinidadian culture and foods, the music, everything. Carnival was part of it."
Ryan studied illustration in high school, later studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology. He pursued illustration for some time before he pivoted and became a park ranger. Then, he joined the New York Police Department, later becoming the first African-American to be appointed to the NYPD's forensic art unit
As an officer, no one wanted to work the West Indian Day Parade in New York City, Ryan said, because it was typically a very long day.
But he volunteered for it every year, taking inspiration from the performers for his art. It soon became a family project, with his son joining him and taking photographs at the parade, and later his wife and two daughters.
"We put cameras in everybody's hands and go shoot the festival," Ryan said.
It was also an opportunity for their children to be exposed to their culture, Burnette-Ryan said.
"With each carnival that Weldon goes and shoot, we set up an art exhibit," she said, adding that they also do educational outreach in connection with the Carnival Association.
For Burnette-Ryan, she paints "whatever moves her spirit," she said. That could be politics, her children, a cultural experience, or a notable event in her life.
"It's really whatever moves me to say, 'I have to capture that,'" she said. "I have to express that. I have to say something about that subject matter."
Opening their former gallery is what kickstarted her into doing art full-time. That's when she started showing her work in galleries, and from the start, she began winning awards. That propelled her to keep going.
Color and vibrancy take center stage in both of their works.
"When we paint, we could have chosen to do moody colors and express those emotions, but our focus is the joy of life," Burnette-Ryan said.
Part of the draw for Ryan regarding Carnival is that, for many years, it was a way for the Caribbean people to have freedom of expression against slavers — it gave them a chance to celebrate their culture while pushing back against the banning of their religious practices and way of life.
So to have a great society, Ryan said, the community needs to have art.
"We need to respect and enjoy, embrace and support art," he said.
"In all its forms, from performance to visual," Burnette-Ryan added.
