1985–87
In the winter of 1985, Ryan spent a week at a friend’s family home in Lakeside, MI, where he devoted himself to drawing a curious mulberry tree. Though it appeared from afar as a single form, closer observation revealed it was composed of four intertwined plants. Over the following year, he drew, erased, and redrew the tree from the four cardinal points before translating these studies into sculptural reliefs. The final works trace his original lines, routed onto 4 x 8 foot sheets of plywood soaked in black ink. The project reflects his sustained meditation on perception, multiplicity, and form.
Installation at Rockford Art Museum
![[M1] Adams Mulberry Tree #1 west view, 1985-87 acrylic and ink on routed plywood 96 x 48 x 2 in (243.84 x 121.92 x 5.08 cm)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/c9f52bd8-ba8a-4d6d-a8ad-7632647eb9b1/a74de50c-094f-4e96-82c6-f8177f705bc2_rw_3840.jpeg?h=bb0a20cf6aeb000912582921c704480f)
[M1] Adams Mulberry Tree #1 west view, 1985-87 acrylic and ink on routed plywood 96 x 48 x 2 in (243.84 x 121.92 x 5.08 cm)
![[M2] Adams Mulberry Tree #1 north view, 1985-87 acrylic and ink on routed plywood 96 x 48 x 2 in (243.84 x 121.92 x 5.08 cm)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/c9f52bd8-ba8a-4d6d-a8ad-7632647eb9b1/44e323ce-55fe-4a02-a283-2b71f58bb42f_rw_3840.jpeg?h=cc4fc346d544d0c116ed83071653e977)