Mary E.D. Ryan

Biography – Mary is an artist who showed her abilities very early in life and was placed in art classes at the age of five. This fostered her budding skills for many subsequent years through several very inspiring and challenging art teachers. Mary designed and painted sets for theatrical performances and numerous large-scale murals. This sparked her long-term interest in painting murals and painting large-scale surfaces. Out of necessity, Mary pursued a medical career, yet she continues to create art on a daily basis. Sabbaticals and free time are spent immersed in the creative process. Mary is deeply spiritual and feels passionately that everything in this universe is alive and waiting to be expressed artistically.

Artists Statement – My artistic style is the intersection between nature, spirit, and the world of my visions, with a hint of fantasy, yet always tamed by an underlying spirituality and the elements of nature. I create mostly from my visionary imagination. I try to capture the visions that arise when I hear music, read something striking, or see something beautiful. Most of what I see is outdoors, and it is often what others miss. The visions evolve in my mind’s eye, and I try to create those unique and colorful images. Sometimes I know exactly what I want to create. Other times not, but the outcome will surprise and delight me. I especially love when I exceed my expectations and I flow with the work. Making art is a spiritual act for me, and I have been blessed with a steady flow of ideas and visions. I call myself a Visionary Spirit & Fantasy Artist for these reasons. I typically paint the unseen - what is seen only by the soul - rather than the everyday visual world around me.

Distinctions – Mary is the creator, developer, and manager of The Village Moon at Chrysalis Farm Studio & Gallery, which she co-owns with her husband Will. Her five-year-old son Riley is an enthusiastic painter and has a penchant, like his mother, for vibrant colors. Mary’s murals and artwork reside in various private collections. Her painting, The Awakening, is the cover of her book, “Awakening the Chrysalis,” by Mary Durant (maiden name). Mary is also the co-founder and spokesperson for the International Purple Ribbon Project, a violence and abuse education and awareness grassroots campaign formed in 1994.

Will Ryan

Biography-Will has long been drawn to art in one way or another. While he has always appreciated the work of others, making his own art has been a constant craving fulfilled only through experimenting with various mediums. After playing with painting, clay sculpture, and mixed mediums, Will found his niche working with wood. He gained confidence and experience through many years of carpentry and woodworking jobs, and also through renovating and restoring his old farm house in Swanzey at Chrysalis Farm.

Will has delved deeper into the woodworking arts these days. He now enjoys building and creating custom designed pieces of furniture that are practical but beautiful, and he creates hand made wood carvings and wooden ornaments, pendants, and jewelry. Will is also extremely adept at matting and framing art - a critical skill to have in an art studio! He has studied under the tutelage of Bill Shnute at the Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough, NH. Will’s love of wood as a medium has led him, with his wife and business partner Mary, to build and create The Village Moon at Chrysalis Farm Gallery, in which he is co-owner. At Chrysalis Farm, Will has a wonderful wood studio that is his sacred space for creativity. His newest work is a collection of hand cut wooden religious symbol ornaments and pendant necklaces. The pendants have become very popular and the collection is expanding rapidly.

Artist Statement - Sometimes when I am working I lose all sense of time and self. That is when I know I am living in a mysterious universe, and that art, both mine and others, can be a portal beyond everyday experience. I like that.