Biography and AchievmentsBryce was born in Auckland in 1971. He has been a full-time artist since 2005 and has had eight solo exhibitions.
His work is in private and public collections in New Zealand, Europe and the USA including the John Deere Art collection in Moline, Illinois (2005) and Foodstuffs New Zealand for Nga Potiki Iwi of Papamoa, NZ (2010). On his distinctive earthy figurative style, Bryce says “I like to explore positive human emotion and activity through my paintings. I’m always drawn to large scale boldness and always accentuate form as well as the balance of positive/negative space and masculine/feminine elements. The use of the human form in my work is vital and couldn’t imagine completing a painting without the use of the figure. My paintings are created to accentuate the positive aspects of life and to take the viewer to a place of calm, where they can delight in the everyday things that pertain to our visceral and spiritual, rather than material natures.” |
Artist statement |
As a young country, New Zealand is developing rapidly with so many changes in the last one hundred years, we sometimes struggle to keep up. It's diversity is as great as the figures that dwell upon it. We have a lot of different cultures that are influencing the face of our nation, some of these going back one hundred and thirty years such as the Europeans, the Chinese gold miners of Otago and the Dalmation wine makers and even further back, the Maori migrated from Polynesia in canoes about the 9th century to 13th century AD.
I have aimed to capture the people and surroundings of the New Zealand landscape, reflecting on my fascination with the parallels between the European Modernist movements and the settlers of this country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This Modernist influence mixed with New Zealand culture is evident in my most recent figurative paintings and gives them a truly unique, international flavour. |
Technical information |
My work is all acrylic painted on museum quality 10 oz. Cotton duck. I finish the paintings with an isolation coat (acrylic gel) which keeps it separate from the solvent based varnish that I then apply. This gives a great finish which is highly UV resistant, helps eliminate scuffing and can be removed (back to the isolation coat) for future restoration. All of the paintings are on a 3 cm deep museum grade stretcher.Framing can be arranged (for work that's not already framed).
Chronological summary of significant events in art career.
1997 Embarks on International travel, studying the works of the Masters in the Galleries and Museums of Europe. Discovers a passion for and ability to paint. 1998 First solo exhibition - Whangarei. 2000 Travels to Turkey - gains inspiration and begins new body of work. 2004 Attends studies in Graphic Design - Tauranga. 2005 Becomes a full time artist - 3 exhibitions this year sells work to The John Deere International Art Collection as well as other international collectors. 2006 Continues to research and paint historical New Zealand themes - figures in our landscapes and environment as well as other international themes. 2006 Chosen to be published in the popular book New Zealand's Favourite Artists 2007 Chosen for the esteemed Vero Calender and published alongside artists such as Don Binney, Ralph Hotere, Rita Angus and Colin McCahon. 2008 Exhibition Lightly on the Land at Zohar Gallery Mount Maunganui New Zealand 2009 Works mostly on commissioned paintings 2010 Exhibited work in the Braveheart Exhibition curated by Liz Caughey 2010 Group exhibition Fisher Brown Gallery Tauranga. 2010 Commissioned by Foodstuffs NZ® to paint commemorative work for the Nga Potiki Iwi, Papamoa. 2010 Releases book Bryce Brown Paintings 2005 - 2010 2011 Group exhibition Bryce Brown, Dalene Meiring and Matt Guild. North at The Artists Room Dunedin. 2012 Solo exhibition Creative Tauranga Gallery 2012 Winner merit award Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award 2014 Works on small works 2015 Pillbox series and explores Asian themes Currently lives and paints on an orchard in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand |