Brendan Ryan graduated from Crawford College of Art & Design in 2017. His ceramics bear a direct link between his background in the culinary arts and his rural background. He is a qualified chef. "Hughie O'Donoghue, Harry Clarke and Pablo Picasso are an important influence on my work. I admire their use of colour, line and composition" he explained. "This body of work is inspired by the lay of the land and the house in Co Cork where I grew up. The Hawthorn tree grows well in this landscape, its growth influenced by the direction of the prevailing winds and in winter can be stark against a grey sky". The recipient of two exhibition awards and an Internship from the Ceramics Dept in Crawford his work is also in the OPW, CIT and PM Group collections.