When the term “landscape painting” is mentioned, it tends to evoke banal images of mountains and open fields with an occasional country road cutting through the scenery. But it’s not often an artist works the landscape from the inside out.
JB Bryan’s latest exhibit at Artspace 116, Dirt and Photosynthesis, depicts an observation of plant life as if the viewer were a bug crawling around the entanglement of spiraling vines and blossoms. Colors and shapes are layered haphazardly, overlapping in such a way that the eyes are pulled into the inner elements of the painting. Flower and plant life are not distinguishable, but rather deconstructed, incorporating all of the senses.
Bryan is a bit of a renaissance man, working also as a published poet, ceramist, publisher and graphic designer. In his artist statement, he says his paintings neither “depict a theme nor a view, but are more spontaneous and gestural. They incorporate both observation and improvisation. They are not realistic nor abstract and seek to evoke nature without trying to describe.”
Also a seasoned gardener, Bryan related that much of the inspiration for his work comes from his garden in the Village of Placitas.
“As a (gardener), I have hands-on experience with moving and customizing my own life via gardening; that imprints on my consciousness and imagination,” he said.
Bryan also said he draws a good amount of inspiration from the Modernism that honors Matisse and Cezanne. This is apparent in the Impressionistic layering that is found in many of his oil paintings.
Chinese and Japanese ink paintings have been another source of inspiration for Bryan. Also on exhibit at Artspace 116 from Oct. 19 through Nov. 30 is a series of Bryan’s ink paintings on paper, which simultaneously compliment the botanical elements in his larger oil paintings. He explained that oil paintings require “continual adjustments and a working of surface nuances. Ink and watercolor allow no opportunity to make correction. Once a gesture starts, that’s what you get.”
The artist’s paintings emerge through improvisational brushstrokes — each inspiring the next unpredictable motion.
Bryan’s experiences as a poet also play a large part in the process of his paintings. He says, “Words aren’t necessarily what transfer over, but (rather a) poetic sensibility. The process of writing a poem is trying to articulate what you see and experience.”
Bryan has lived in New Mexico for over 30 years and works from his studio in Placitas. He is also the owner of La Alameda Press, which publishes the work of many New Mexican authors as well as other writers from around the country.
