JAMES STRECKER: You have a new book just published and a number of recent paintings, so please tell us about these projects. Why do they matter to you and why should they matter to us?
MARK RYALL: They matter to me because they allow me to express views that are conservative in the sense that I’m reacting to the broad technological march forward of our world. We’re all part of this and I’m trying to make sense of it both for myself and others. A painting of a historical Hamilton Stelco structure has the same motif as a dystopian fiction about genetic engineering. Both are conservative clarion calls for mindfulness.
JS: Please tell us about the projects that you will soon be working on and why they draw you to them.
MR: Over the next few months I will be promoting my new book, Age-Decoded. As a self-published first-time author, marketing is a responsibility that rivals the actual writing of the book. In this age of social media, I’m discovering tools and levers needed to help me reach an audience. I believe many people could not just enjoy but also benefit from reading my novel, because it represents “hard science fiction,” i.e., my best attempt to portray the actual world we’re headed towards. This summer I will also produce two more acrylic paintings. I’ve been incubating on the subject matter, but they’ll probably be sports portraits or natural landscapes.
JS: What important beliefs do you express in or through your work?
MR: The novel Age-Decoded is all about technological change and unforeseen consequences. In that sense I’m a conservative, but hopefully not a Luddite. For example, in this novel everyone is offered the publicly-funded procedure of age-decoding, which uses CRISPR technology to halt the aging process. Naturally, most people jump at this! But what are the consequences for these individuals, and more saliently, for humanity? I offer up many, most of which are not good. This artistic expression of beliefs I do not see as scifi/fantasy, but as speculative fiction meant to portray what I think is bound to happen 50-100 years out.
JS: How have you changed as an artist and as a person since you began to do creative work?
MR: In terms of the writing, I can’t answer that question because I haven’t begun a second book. My gut tells me it’ll be yet another dystopian work: perhaps on the use of technology to track/surveil peoples’ actions, not just physical but also thoughts and feelings? In my paintings my subject matter has shifted since I began: originally it was all structural – old buildings, bridges, etc. – but it’s evolved to personal compositions, most notably sports portraits.
JS: What are your biggest challenges as a creative person?
MR: I have no big challenges or compelling excuses. Art is a wonderful opportunity to express myself. It helps that I don’t depend on it to support myself financially, so I’m liberated me to just go — in any direction! This luxury is a privilege I do not see as challenged.
JS: What are your most meaningful achievements?
MR: Teaching economics to young people was most meaningful. Not the supply and demand aspects, which are technical and quantitative, but the softer social, political and environmental issues surrounding the discipline. Young people can comprehend that economics is not an exact science, in fact is not a science at all. I spent twenty-five years teaching economics and never grew tired of experiencing this revelation in collaboration with my students.
JS: What do you ask of your audience?
MR: Mindfully reflect. In this buzzfed, new-media-amped, click-baited, likes-driven, tech-laden world we need to slow down and become more Buddhist-like in our mental temperament. One of the characters in my novel, Jesus (ironically a Buddhist) is very good at mindfully appreciating interconnectedness, even as chaos unfolds around him.
JS: What do you yourself find to be the most intriguing and/or surprising things about you?
MR: That I’ve become more spiritual and more social in growing older. In my early adult years, perhaps because of my aptitude for math and science, I was preoccupied with studying and pursuing work in science and business. But something inside me always rebelled and I gradually moved into the softer realms through teaching. Working daily with young people taught me to draw energy from humans instead of things. Intriguingly, I know myself better, I also am myself better. My art is a good example of this shift to things nontangible and social. Twelve years ago, I was not even painting or writing.
JS: How has living with the pandemic affected your creative life?
MR: It’s been a boon. I say this knowing that Covid-19 wreaked havoc on the work or personal lives of many others. But for me, recently retired, it’s been a positive. Practically, it’s opened up enormous amounts of time to devote to art, without the usual distractions. For example, I now spend little time triathlon training, due to all competitions being cancelled, which liberates about 2-3 hours per day for pursuits such as drinking cheap wine and writing. Spiritually, the pandemic has shone the light on the human spirit, the common good, and the interconnectedness of nature. Witnessing all of this unfold propels my creative juices.
JS: How and where can the public buy your book and your paintings?
MR: My paintings can be viewed on Instagram at m.ryall; some available for purchase which can be arranged by Instagram direct message or email contact markpryall@gmail.com
My speculative fiction Age-Decoded eBook is available at all major online retailers. The Books2Read link for that is: https://books2read.com/age-decoded
