Ryan produces limited run, hand-printed posters for rock bands and concerts, and for events such as art shows. Most of his work is screen printed at his print shop, The Bird Machine. He has produced posters for the bands Shellac and the Flaming Lips, as well as thousands of others; he is also responsible for the album art and track illustrations of Andrew Bird's The Mysterious Production of Eggs and Weather Systems. He started making posters in 1995.[1]
In 2005 he published a book called 100 Posters, 134 Squirrels: A Decade of Hot Dogs, Large Mammals, and Independent Rock: The Handcrafted Art of Jay Ryan. He also provided the cover art for Michael Chabon's 2004 novel The Final Solution and publicity art for Chicago's 57th Street Art Fair. He was featured in the documentary film Just Like Being There (2012).[2]
Ryan had previously been a bassist for Braid, but left shortly after its formation. He then joined Hubcap, before forming Dianogah in 1995.
Anders Smith Lindall, "Off the Wall: Jay Ryan's Whimsical Illustrations Put a Face on the Chicago Rock Scene", Chicago Sun-Times, Tuesday, December 20, 2005, p. 49
Jay Ryan, 100 Posters, 134 Squirrels: A Decade of Hot Dogs, Large Mammals, and Independent Rock: The Handcrafted Art of Jay Ryan, Akashic Books, Chicago, Illinois 2005 ISBN9781888451931
