She has studied at Street Albans, Bath Academy of Art, the Slade School of Art and the School for Oriental and African Studies. Ryan completed a residence at Tate Street Ives from 1998 to 2000, where she worked in the former studio of Barbara Hepworth.
Ryan works primarily in sculpture. The organic nature of Ryan’s sculptural work is often accentuated by its direct placement upon the floor, without a plinth. She was represented in the Tate"s show "Sculptors and Modellers" and at solo exhibitions at the International Cooperation Administration (1987) and Kettle"s Yard (1988).
Her work is in the permanent collection of the Tate Gallery.
