• A gallery visitor in front of Element No. 1, 2015, by Ran Ortner

  • Element No. 34, 2015, by Ran Ortner

Ran Ortner’s pre-art career takes a decidedly left-field path; the San Francisco native, now based in New York, was previously a pro motorcycle racer. But after a life-changing event — read about it below — he changed the proverbial career gears and heeded the call of the creative. In the two-plus decades since pursuing art full-time, Ortner has won the inaugural ArtPrize competition and had his oil paintings — which focus on sweeping large-scale ocean scenes, with meticulously detailed wave after crashing wave — snapped up by Le Bernardin and 7 World Trade Center for display. Starting today, Ortner is also the subject of a solo show at the Robert Miller Gallery. Get to know the artist below.

The art interest came about because…
When I was motorcycle racing, I began to see how the rhythms of the body could translate visually. I’ve always been interested in how form follows function. No matter what your pursuit is, there is always a visual byproduct, and that visual signature is fascinating to me.

And I began to pursue it as a career when…
I was recovering from a knee operation after a motorcycle crash and realized that even though my racing career would be coming to an end, I did not want the excitement of the adventure to end. I saw art as a way to continue an extraordinary adventure through the entire arc of my life.

First art love…
Walt Disney.

I’d describe my work as…
What I do to keep from going crazy.

My signature technique…
By layering many coats of glazes and opaques, the canvases become experienced objects. I attempt to get them to hold time like a vase holds water.

And a painting can take me as long as…
A large piece can be a couple years in the making. The smallest at least several months.

I’m drawn to ocean themes because…
As a surfer, I’ve always had an intimate connection with water. The ocean mirrors the tempo of my body, the in and out of my breath, the beating of my heart. And at the same time, the ocean is always asking the question: What lies beneath the surface? How are the unseen depths silently and constantly informing what is visible?

My art influences and inspirations include…
Rembrandt, Goya, Joseph Beuys, Michael Heizer, James Turrell.

Artists who changed the way I see the world…
Same list, but let’s add Kiefer.

A good work of art should always…
Live in memory. I am most compelled by art that has the capacity to haunt us, or to make us dream.

As an artist, I could never be without…
Wonder.