About the Artist

Hi, my name is Rylee, and I am a fine artist! I am a senior painting major at SCAD and am on track to graduate in late May 2025. My studio is currently based in Savannah on campus as we finish the quarters.

My most significant influence on the arts has been my Noni (grandmother). As a little girl, I was thrust into art as I watched her run her photography business and create paintings on the side. My goal is to create art that inspires our inner child and brings a sense of nostalgia.

Rylee Breese is an American Contemporary painter known for portraying the human body, childhood objects, and an oversaturated palette. Nostalgia plays a crucial role in her work, as motifs such as tattoos, toys, and eyes appear in many works, enhancing the art's emotional depth and reconnecting her personal experiences. Rylee differentiates memories from reality by depicting the body in slightly distorted colors and impossibly unique forms.

 She was born in Covington, Georgia, in 2002. The Montessori School of Covington was one of the first schools she attended, teaching her from a young age by hands-on learning. This school taught her essential life skills along with her regular education. Being hands-on in Montessori allowed Rylee to explore her creativity, problem-solving skills, and multitasking work. Rylee’s early life was filled with school, soccer, and volleyball, with her little spare time spent on extracurricular school clubs. In 2020, Rylee was accepted into the Savannah College of Art and Design on an academic scholarship. She is now a senior painting major and will graduate in May 2025.

@breesy_fresa

ryleebreeseart@yahoo.com

Artist Statement

Experience is a virtue, and our dreams may become our reality. As an only child, I never went without love and attention. And because of this, I developed a sense of approval and expectation from everyone I met. Being thrust into the real world, I was hit with a wave of diverse opinions I thought I had to follow to gain back this acceptance. Thankfully, through the guidance of my grandmother, Noni, I slowly began to create art for myself. Being a painter and photographer, my Noni drives my creativity and has guided me through art in many forms. Due to this, my work evolves in many mediums, substrates, and concepts as I explore myself as an artist.

My practice conveys childhood nostalgia, creating a sense of deja vu in my audience by portraying the fluidity of the young adult body around childhood objects and an over-saturated palette. The bright colors I use symbolize how, as children, we see the world as a brighter, more enjoyable place than the chaos we are now aware of. Nostalgia plays a crucial role in my work. Motifs such as tattoos, toys, and eyes appear in many of my works. These items enhance my art's emotional depth and reconnect to my personal experiences. I differentiate my memories from reality using distorted colors and impossibly unique forms.

CV/Resume

Education

2025    BFA in Painting & Business Entrepreneurship, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA (expected graduation: May 2025)

2021    Fine Arts Seal, High School Degree, Heritage High School, Conyers, GA

 

Teaching Experience

2024    Visiting Artist: Conceptual Art Class, Sun City: Del Webb Active Adult Communities, Griffin, Ga

2023    Visiting Assistant Artist: Glass Angel Class, Sun City: Del Webb Active Adult Communities, Griffin, GA