Rockies pitcher Ryan Feltner finds outlet in abstract painting
Denver Post
Ryan Feltner is discussing his art.
This particular painting, one he’s informally named “Busy,” is a riot of colors, shapes, meaning and emotions.
“It says something about me, for sure,” the Rockies’ starting pitcher said. “In a way, it’s about reaching into yourself, maybe getting back to the child inside. But it’s also about forgetting things you’ve learned, getting past all of those layers, and then just seeing what comes out.
“But paintings also say something different to anyone who looks at them. I like that. That’s really what I’m going for.”
Spoken like a true abstract expressionist.
Feltner, 27, the Rockies’ hard-throwing right-hander, has loved painting since he was a kid, but he’s never had formal training. He dabbled occasionally but didn’t become passionate about his art until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“For me, during the pandemic, it was a way to fill some time when so many people were isolated and alone,” he said.
When he suffered a severe head injury during a game last May, painting helped with his recovery, filling a void while he was unable to pitch.
“It was a good activity … because it was an outlet for my energy and emotion when I couldn’t get on the mound,” he said.
It also helped him cope with a traumatic event.
Last May 13, at Coors Field, in the third inning, Philadelphia’s Nick Castellanos hit a line drive back to the mound. Feltner reacted just in time to avoid getting hit in the face, but the baseball struck the back of his head. He suffered a concussion and a fractured skull. Dizziness and migraine headaches lingered for about a month. The scary injury kept Feltner off a big-league mound for almost 19 weeks.
Now, he’s attempting to become a fixture in Colorado’s rotation. His April 6 start against Tampa Bay at Coors was among the best performances in recent Rockies history. His last start, a 7-6 loss to the Phillies, didn’t go nearly as well.
But Feltner, who graduated from Ohio State with a degree in strategic communications, is much more than an athlete.
Feltner loves art of all kinds, especially abstract paintings and music. His inspiration comes from abstract expressionists Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock, and Rick Rubin, the American record executive and producer who co-founded Def Jam Recordings.
“I take a lot of different techniques from different artists,” Feltner said. “I don’t know how many different techniques I used, but in my best paintings, I incorporate a lot of different ones and use kind of a combination of things I’ve learned from artists that I like.”
Pollack once said: “When I am in my painting, I’m not aware of what I’m doing. …I have no fears about making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own.”
Feltner agrees with Pollack’s philosophy.
Rothko’s abstract work, often composed of several large rectangular blocks, is renowned for its use of color, which is why Feltner is so inspired by it.
According to the National Gallery of Art, Rothko’s classic paintings of the 1950s are “characterized by expanding dimensions and an increasingly simplified use of form, brilliant hues, and broad, thin washes of color. In his large, floating rectangles of color, which seem to engulf the spectator, he explored with a rare mastery of nuance the expressive potential of color contrasts and modulations.”
Rothko said that his abstract images represented the fundamental nature of “human drama.”
Feltner can relate.
“My paintings are about thought and emotions,” he said. “Sometimes, it comes all at once, in a rush; sometimes, it takes a lot more time. Sometimes, I completely paint over something I have started and create something entirely new.”
Rubin helped hip-hop music evolve into what it is today by launching the careers of greats like LL Cool J, Run DMC, Public Enemy and The Beastie Boys. Now, musicians from all genres show up at his studios in California, hoping Rubin can help their art reach the next level.
“Rick Rubin can find things in music that others couldn’t; that’s what he became known for,” Feltner said. “He has a less-is-more philosophy. The idea is to get rid of the clutter. That’s influenced me.”
In his best-selling book, “The Creative Act: A Way of Being,” Rubin says that art is the ultimate form of self-actualization that enriches the soul.
“The reason we’re alive is to express ourselves in the world,” Rubin writes, “and creating art may be the most effective and beautiful method of doing so.”
Feltner said he completed one painting in 10 minutes. Another took five weeks.
Feltner works primarily with acrylic paint on canvas.
“I like the colors I can use with acrylics, and painting with oils, for me, was too much of a hassle,” he said.
At his condominium in Scottsdale, Ariz., Feltner used his front porch as his studio. He plans to do the same at the house he’s renting in Denver this season with teammate Nick Mears.
“Once I get settled in, I’d like to start painting again,” said Feltner, who put his painting on hold once spring training began in mid-February.
He has gifted some of his paintings to friends, family and teammates. One painting, “Red Dot,” was a gift to injured Rockies pitching prospect Ryan Rolison.
Feltner plans to keep painting after his playing days and hopes someday to have a home where he can construct a room to display his art.
“Who knows? Maybe someday my paintings can be part of a charity or a foundation,” he said. “We’ll see how it goes. For now, it’s a way to express myself.”
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