Despite an aversion to cold, Bryan Holland resides year round in Minnesota, where he creates layered oil paintings that are often a mix of collage and other experimentation. His work incorporates realistic painting techniques fused with design elements such as text, patterns, and decorative motifs, which serve to create tension both visually and thematically.
Holland holds a Master of Fine Arts in painting from the University of South Dakota, and Bachelor of Arts in art from USF/Augustana College, as well as a degree in graphic design from Alexandria Technical and Community College. His varied experience has helped shape his unique aesthetic.
In addition to being an artist, Bryan has also worked as a graphic artist, a college professor, and gallery owner. Most recently, Bryan founded and organized an annual studio crawl event in his home town, and is on the board of a local artist alliance. His paintings have been featured in numerous exhibitions, including solo shows and national juried presentations. Publications include Spectrum Fantastic Art, Hi-Fructose (online), Juxtapoz (online), and New American Paintings.
His work is held in both national and international private collections.
Birds and animals have always fascinated me, and are often the focus of my paintings. My approach varies, at times beginning with inspiration from a photo I’ve taken at a zoo, museum or my backyard. Other times I begin with a sketch or computer mockup. Either way, the subject is rendered in a realistic manner, with other elements introduced that either work to contradict the realism or blur the boundaries between the two.
What interests me is creating a push and pull between a traditional, realistic painting style and a more modern approach that incorporates flat elements, such as decorative motifs, text, or patterns. I’m intrigued how these two seemingly opposite aesthetics work together to form a whole, like the idea of Yin and Yang, where contradictions both contrast and complement each other.
Frequently, my process is also one of contradictions. Working with a variety of different techniques, from more traditional painting processes using oils, to more modern techniques such as collage and image transfer, I’m captivated by the synergy of a realistically rendered subject with a pattern or 2D element. This combination of contrasting styles and techniques challenges the viewer’s ideas of illusion created through realistic techniques and the reality of the flat surface.
Selected Exhibits
2022
Saint Peter Art Stroll, Saint Peter, 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, 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.
