Ryan Sanchez is an artist, illustrator, and author. He was raised as a latch key kid in the suburbs of LA LA Land, California. To keep himself entertained as a child, he drew on sidewalks, streets, walls, shoes, clothing, textbooks, and anything else he could get his hands on.
 

Luckily, he did not grow out of his passion for the art. Ryan went on to college and earned a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Southern California in 1995, and a B.F.A. in Illustration from Art Center College of Design in 2000.

In 2002, he moved to New York to build on his street cred. Since then, his illustrations have widely been used in the editorial, advertising, and publishing world and have been recognized by Communication Arts, 3 X 3 Magazine,
American Illustration, and the Society of Illustrators.

After 5 years of grinding the pavements of the Big Apple, he quickly rose to through the ranks. During this time, his paintings have been shown in galleries in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, London, Canada, and Switzerland.

In 2007, Schwartz and Wade Books published Ryan’s first illustrated children’s book, Clara and Senor Frog, written by Campbell Geeslin. Later that year, he decided to slow things down...REALLY slow things down, and moved to the South.

Currently, Ryan lives in Savannah, GA with his lovely wife, Heidi. He is enrolled at Savannah College of Art and Design in pursuit of his MFA in Illustration. His 2 adorable pets, an English bulldog named Abbey and a rabbit named Sebastian constantly entertain him with their antics as he patiently waits for the new addition to his family to make his/her debut in October. A better part of his day is spent painting, picking, poking, posturing, pointing, prognosticating, and plotting.

Please refer to Ryan’s web site, www.ryansanchez.com, for more information and/or for a list of his clients.

Book Reviews

CLARA AND SENOR FROG, Campbell Geeslin, illustrated by Ryan Sanchez (Schwartz & Wade Books, 2007)

In Clara and Senor Frog, Campbell Geeslin (Elena’s Serenade, How Nanita Learned to Make Flan) invites readers to discover the magic of art along with his young protagonist. The daughter of a magician’s assistant, young Clara knows all the tricks and finds magic boring.  But when visiting her aunt, the housekeeper for “rich gringos who have gone al Norte to visit relatives,” Clara encounters a painting by a famous artist and believes she has found real magic at last. (read more of review from Paper Tiger)

Kirkus Review - Newcomer Sanchez works his own magical realism into his illustrations, indicating Clara's artistic kinship with the painter Miguel by making her even more frog-like than her mentor, her huge eyes noticing everything around her. The playful, highly saturated oils evoke the bright heat of Mexico, and exaggerated perspectives emphasizing the monumental nature of Senor Frog and his work. A quietly perceptive celebration of the synergy between observation and imagination necessary for great art.

Additional Reviews:

CurledUpKids.com

Just One More Book

Texas Trifles October 2007