Edward Ryden was born in a small mining town in Colorado, on December 13, 1922. His inclination to pursue art began in grammar school, and continued through first year of college at University of Colorado. He served in the U.S. Armed Forces in Europe and Japan from 1942 to 1946, before resuming his studies in Boulder, Colorado. He married painter Jean Halpert in 1947.

After receiving his BFA in 1949, Ryden completed his MFA at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, with a minor in education. Early on, he worked mainly in sculpture, an interest that continued throughout his career. Having studied intaglio techniques in Colorado, his interest in printmaking was renewed in 1960 when he discovered woodcuts. His love of nature and its connection to human life led to many woodcuts, including a black and white series on the subject of water, executed in the 1980s.

A sojourn of six months in Israel in 1971 led to taking up residence there with Jean in 1985. There they helped found a new community in the Gallilee hills, and they continued their artistic endeavors there until Jean's failing health hailed their return to California in 2002. They moved to Santa Rosa, California. After a four year hiatus to care for Jean, who passed away on March 14, 2011, Ed resumed printmaking. He has shown in group and solo exhibitions internationally, and his sculptures and prints are in both public and private collections throughout the U.S., Europe, and Israel.

Ed Ryden died at his home in Santa Rosa, California on October 23, 2013.