Ryan Dean Haas

I am Ryan Dean Haas. I'm a Pen and Ink artist based in the Black Forest, Germany.

While I'm mainly self-taught I also trained at the School of Fine Arts. In 2014 I became a regular student there. I was still in school at this point and while resources like money and time were rare, I persevered, took classes regularly and learned a lot. Thanks to art school mentality and the wonderful people there, I grew not only as an artist but also as a person.

In 2015, I graduated from high school with a grade of 12 out of 15 points in art. It was at that time that I delved even more into art, especially self-portraits. It started with my art series “The Artist” in which I sketched myself repeatedly in front of a mirror, using my own body as reference for anatomy studies.

After living in Australia for a year, spending my time working on farms, traveling the country and getting inspired by breathtaking views and beautiful landscapes, I returned to Germany in late 2016 and immediately went back to taking classes at art school.

I then began working at a nursery home for mentally ill, old people. Since it was mostly palliative care I've been confronted with the death of patients on a regular basis, which also reflected in my art. I started drawing abandoned rooms and sometimes even dying patients. Losing people you cared for is always tough. Drawing them during their last moments and just being there, helped me cope with their eventual death.

I decided to make art an even bigger part of my life in 2018. One of my friends and mentors helped me to get into three exhibitions that year. It was a great experience, which allowed me to gain exposure, network and become more well-known. Later that year, I joined an art association and started my own small business, which allowed me to officialize my art sales through postcards and paid commissions.

In August 2020, I eventually rented an art studio space and became a full-time artist.

In November 2020 I teamed up with Jack Daniel’s to promote the relaunch of their new design, which was revealed in May 2021.