A native of New Orleans, Max Ryan has always been immersed in the city’s rich visual culture; its architecture, music, and artistic traditions. Surrounded by this creative environment, he developed a lasting passion for art that continued to grow even as he built a successful career in residential design and historic renovation. Working primarily with acrylics on canvas and panel, Max creates contemporary works defined by layered textures, deep saturated colors, metallic leaf, and a range of mixed media. His background in building and design deeply informs his approach; architectural lines, structural forms, and material contrasts often serve as inspiration for his mixed-media abstract paintings. Over the years, he has cultivated a diverse body of work that reflects both craftsmanship and artistic exploration. His paintings have been featured in numerous galleries, exhibitions, and publications, and are held in private and corporate collections around the world. In addition to his artistic practice, Max used his building and design skills to convert a warehouse on Pink Street in Old Metairie into an unexpected, unique showplace for creating and entertaining. He recently added a new working studio in the quaint beach town of Pass Christian, Mississippi, expanding the environments where new works are conceived and developed. Max’s creative journey has also been shaped by his years at Metairie Park Country Day School and his studies at Rhodes College and Tulane University; experiences that broadened his perspective and supported his evolution as both an artist and designer.