The mundane things we see every day can be a source of enlightened art--if you have the right perspective.
Ramsey’s Ryan Davis, a finance professional, worked from home last spring during the pandemic when he took on some demolition work.
He looked into a dumpster, and he got a new perspective.
“I always had a creative side,” says Ryan. I noticed the inside of the dumpster was beautiful. I took a shot of it with my cell phone and thought that I had something special. Even my wife thought it was cool, which made me feel that I was on to something,” he laughs.
The abstract patterns in the scars, paint splashes, and markings on disposal containers captured his imagination. He began taking his camera to construction sites to photograph dumpster gates, which were the perfectly-sized canvas for his purpose.
“Part of the fun is the thrill of finding one and getting into it. If it’s a weekday, I may go back on the weekend to take the photos,” he says. After snapping the images, Ryan makes enhancements on his computer to play with light, color, foreground, and background while maintaining the integrity of the image. Then, a large print file is created and mounted between aluminum and glass. The photo itself may dictate the size, but the finished artwork is usually 5’x6’. Smaller images may be combined into collections and displayed as well.
The Ramsey resident is unique in this type of artwork and hopes to build his business selling pieces that lend themselves to a hip, industrial vibe to corporations, boutiques, and restaurants. He also hopes to create awareness of sustainability, recycling, and the zero-waste movement. “It’s a good canvas to educate people about things that may otherwise go unnoticed and eventually help to benefit environmental organizations,” he says.
His website, Seikopath.com, further illustrates his mission, being on a “path” to “seiko” (Japanese: related to truth and sincerity).
“The pandemic caused us to look at everything as either superficial or super-important,” says Ryan. "People are taking time to find out what’s important to them. This was my chance to build something creatively—it’s like a revitalization of my childhood as opposed to the wash, rinse, and repeat of adult life.”
Ryan likes to get the perspective of others regarding their favorite piece of art. “Everyone likes something different, and that’s very rewarding,” he says.
Seikopath.com
@seikopath_
