A House Built for Art: Inside My Brother Ryan’s Collection
- jason03631
- Jul 12
- 3 min read
Some collectors dabble. My brother Ryan and his wife Julie?
They commit.
And the result is one of the most dynamic, personal, and thoughtfully curated art environments I’ve ever seen—not just because it features a big chunk of my work, but because they’ve built a home where creativity isn’t just displayed, it’s lived in.
Every time I visit their house, it feels like walking through a living retrospective of my art.
From early works full of raw experimentation to newer, refined resin-layered pieces, their collection spans the full arc of my creative evolution. But it’s not just what they’ve collected—it’s how they’ve brought it to life that makes it so remarkable.
Their home isn’t a blank-canvas gallery with neutral walls and sterile lighting. It’s bursting with intention and personality.
Each room carries its own vibe—a yellow wall here, a bold red over there, a deep green anchoring another space—each tone chosen not to compete with the art, but to elevate it. The result is a visual rhythm that pulls you from room to room, creating a sense of discovery throughout the house.
The main living space is big, open, and airy—an ideal setting to experience multiple large-scale paintings at once. You get scale, you get contrast, and you get flow. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t have to be siloed; it can coexist and play off other pieces, especially when the environment allows it.
And then there’s the staircase—a masterclass in vertical storytelling.
The tall pieces that line the descent to the basement are hung with just the right spacing and height to create an unfolding narrative as you walk.
It’s not just art on the wall—it’s an experience.
You’re reading the work from above eye level to below, with gravity guiding the way.
I’ve shown in galleries across the country, and I can tell you: not every curator gets this right. Ryan and Julie do.
Their office space might be my favorite moment in the house.
A bright yellow painting I gave Ryan for his 50th birthday hangs confidently on the wall, radiating energy and warmth.
Right next to it is something even more meaningful—the acoustic guitar our dad, Lou, used to play.
Since his passing in 2022, it’s become a sort of visual anchor: one piece representing the past, the other celebrating the present. It’s emotional, honest, and perfectly them.
What sets Ryan and Julie apart isn’t just their love of art—it’s their taste. They trust their instincts. They aren’t afraid of color, scale, or emotion. They create spaces that are bold, personal, and full of life. They know how to hang a painting in a way that tells a story and how to build a home around the pieces that move them.
That’s not easy to do—and they do it effortlessly.
It’s one thing to have a house full of art. It’s another thing entirely to have a home where the art feels like it belongs there, like it grew out of the space. That’s what Ryan and Julie have created.
