In spite of the cold weather, Bryan Holland resides year-round in Minnesota, where he produces intricately layered oil paintings that skillfully combine a synthesis of realistic painting methods with design elements such as text, patterns, and decorative motifs, which create both visual and thematic tension.
Holland holds a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of South Dakota, a Bachelor of Arts in Art from USF/Augustana College, and a degree in Graphic Design from Alexandria Technical and Community College. This diverse educational background has significantly contributed to the development of his distinctive aesthetic.
Beyond his practice as an artist, Holland has worked as a graphic artist, college professor, and gallery owner. Most recently, he founded and organized an annual studio crawl event in his hometown and serves on the board of a local artist alliance. His paintings have been showcased in numerous exhibitions, including solo shows and national juried presentations. His work has been featured in publications such as Spectrum Fantastic Art, Hi-Fructose (online), Juxtapoz (online), and New American Paintings.
Holland’s work is included in private collections both nationally and internationally.
Nature has often been my muse. There’s something magical about the way light filters through clouds, or how a single feather can hold the story of an entire migration. But it’s not just beauty that draws me in—it’s also the mystery. I’m fascinated by the science behind what we see: the hidden structures, patterns, and processes that quietly shape our world.
Visually, I’m interested in creating a push and pull between realistic painting techniques and a more modern approach incorporating flat elements such as text or patterns. I’m intrigued how these two aesthetics work together to form a whole, like the idea of Yin and Yang. By blurring the lines between illusion and reality, I invite viewers to question what’s real and what’s not. Nature and culture, fact and imagination, illusion and reality, can coexist on the same plane.
Nature is full of surprises; I hope my art is too.
Selected Exhibits
2025
Saint Peter Art Stroll @ BHA studio, Saint Peter MN
Figments and Fragments [solo exhibit] @ Old Main Gallery, Bozeman, MT
2024
Unnatural Order@ Rehfelds Modern, Sioux Falls, SD
Surreal Salon Juried Exhibit @ Baton Rouge Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA
2023
Holiday exhibit @ Gallery 360, Minneapolis, MN
Saint Peter Art Stroll @ BHA Studio, Saint Peter, MN
Uptown Art Fair, Minneapolis, MN
2022
Saint Peter Art Stroll @ BHA Studio, Saint Peter, MN
Uptown Art Fair, Minneapolis, MN
Layered Realities @ Ridgewater College (Willmar, MN + Hutchinson, MN Campuses)
2021
Layered Realities @ Arts Center of Saint Peter, Saint Peter, MN
2020
Juried Figure Show @ Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Minnetonka, MN
2019
TOAF: Dallas (Saatchi), Dallas, TX
Faculty Exhibit @ Minnentonka Center for the Arts, Wayzata, MN
Art of the Garden @ Minnentonka Center for the Arts, Wayzata, MN
Member Exhibit @ Arts Center of Saint Peter, Saint Peter, MN
2018
A Symphony of Wings @ Cactus Gallery, Los Angeles CA
Art of the Holidays @ Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Wayzata, MN
2017
Little Things @ Hudson Hughes Gallery, online
EAT @ Arts Center of Saint Peter, Saint Peter, MN
2016
The Nature of [SOLO] Arts Center of Saint Peter, Saint Peter, MN
Menagerie @ Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Wayzata, MN
Members Salon @ Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Wayzata, MN
2015
Project Bike Exhibit @ Gallery 410, Mankato, MN
2014
Indelible @ Alexi Era Gallery, St. Louis, MO
Mythology and a little bit of science [SOLO], @ Ipso Gallery, Sioux Falls, SD
Washington Pavilion 2nd Annual Juried Exhbit @ Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD
2013
Smile, you son of a bitch, Art Tribute to Jaws, @ Hero Complex Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
All at Sea @ Art at Marks, Honolulu, HI
Dreams @ Yuma Fine Arts Center, Yuma, AZ
Fresh! @ Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park, NJ
Underlying Reality @ [SOLO] Marshall Area Arts Council, Marshall MN
2012
Fortune favors the bold @ Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park, NJ
Fragments of Reality [SOLO] @ Arts Center of Saint Peter, MN
2011
In the Midst of Hope @ LGH Studios, Grand Junction, CO
Figuratively Speaking @ Translations Gallery, Denver, CO
Blue Canvas Issue 8 launch event exhibit @ Los Angeles, CA
Education
1995-1997
University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD MFA: Painting.
1988-1991
University of Sioux Falls/Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD BA in Art and English Minor (Joint Art Program).
1982-1984
Alexandria Technical College, Alexandria, MN 2 year technical school degree in Graphic Design
Professional
2022-present
Art Stroll Organizer. Founded and co-organized annual studio visit event in Saint Peter, MN.
2006-present
Artist. Full-time artist, studio at 220 Dodd Avenue, Saint Peter, MN
2018-2021
Instructor.
Mixed Media workshops and 8 week courses.
Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Wayzata, MN
2001-2006
Assistant Professor of Art. University of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls, SD Courses included painting, graphic design, computer imaging, various studio courses.
1998-2001
Artist. Full-time artist.
Owner/manager of part-time gallery (Gallery 520) in Gregory, SD.
1995-1997
Teaching and Grad Research Assistant for Design, Painting, Art Education, Beginning Design, Painting University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD
1991-1995
University of Sioux Falls Sioux Falls, SD. Art Director/graphic artist.
Select Publications
2017
Mankato Magazine
2015
Saint Peter Herald
2014
Online: Hi Fructose Magazine
Online: Juxtapoz magazine
2013 Television: TPT program, MN Original
Online: Empty Kingdom
Online: 144D
2012 Online: Artist a day website
Studio visit magazine
Mankato Free Press
2011 Blue Canvas Magazine
From Hi Fructose Magazine Online
"Artist Bryan Holland creates intriguing paintings and collage works by juxtaposing styles from various eras. Many of his works have a retro quality that reminds one of the bygone days of billboard painting as an art form. Glossy images of apples, lipstick and other products that seem practically interchangeable hearken back to the days of Mad Men-era advertising. In other works, Holland depicts wild animals in staged-looking poses, reminiscent of the kind of tableaux one might find at a natural history museum. These depictions of ossified or at least domesticated-looking animals are set against faded text and backgrounds that could be inspired by vintage wallpaper designs, calling to mind old-timey circus posters. Meanwhile, the costumes and poses of Holland’s various human subjects often refer back to 15th-century Flemish portraiture. Taken as a whole or viewed individually, Holland’s work creates a dense tapestry of cultural associations that reveal a deep interest in commercial art of both the past and present."
See full article here.
Select Collections
Sanford Health and Sciences Center, Sioux Falls, SD
Washington Pavilion Visual Arts Center, (permanent collection), Sioux Falls, SD
Parker's Bistro, Sioux Falls, SD
Minneapolis Marriot Southwest, Minnetonka, MN
Sioux Falls Mayor's Office, Sioux Falls, SD
Dordt College, Sioux Center, IA
Click Rain, Sioux Falls, SD
Sanford Children's Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD
Sanford Heart Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD
South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, SD
