Ryan Loiselle: madman or genius? What elements differentiate the two? Do we care? Describing his painting style as demented and revealing, Loiselle tries to convince the viewer that he possesses the rare gift of bringing out the worst in his subjects. Tacoma resident Loiselle works mostly from photographs, manipulating acrylic and oil paint into portals of his subjects' psyches. Along with familiar, recognizable Tacoma buildings and streets as background, his images on canvas are more than mere staid frozen portraits, but convey a story - always with emotion and sometimes severity. His prior portrait work was of people the artist did not know or of those imagined, but Loiselle reveals that this body of work is not about memory or exploring the realms of the unconscious.
"I enjoy painting character and the human form in all its imperfections. What sets this current work apart from my past is that all the subjects are my friends with parts of Tacoma incorporated in each of the newer works," Loiselle explains.
The eight-piece series is about his love of painting portraits, showing the progress Loiselle has made from the time the first piece was done to the newest, which he adds, "may still be wet when we hang it."
"Portraits: Past And Present" shows through May 12 at the University of Washington-Tacoma Gallery, 1742 Pacific Ave., downtown Tacoma.  Check it out tonight at Third Thursday Art Walk, 5-8 p.m., or meet Loiselle at a special reception at the gallery Friday, April 21, 6-8 p.m.  The gallery can be reached at (253) 692-4000. - Jennifer Johnson