Artist Statement

I believe the beauty of nature can inspire and uplift the human heart and mind. I personally believe in a powerful, wise, and loving Creator who made the earth beautiful for our benefit; therefore, I see the beauty of the landscape as an expression of love towards us. Although there are great challenges and difficulties in the world, I have found that stopping to contemplate the quiet beauty around us can bring moments of inner peace and joy. I believe a successful painting becomes not just a depiction of the physical, but a medium for connecting with our own spiritual natures.

Several years ago, I connected with the plein air painting movement. The practice of painting on location has allowed me to develop greater sensitivity to my subject matter and capture a truer sense of light, texture, and distance. Plein air studies have become my preferred means of recording impressions and feelings of natural settings. These studies have enabled me to create larger studio paintings possessing a genuine sense of atmosphere and mood. Time spent outdoors observing and pondering nature has become an essential part of my creative process.

My work continues to evolve as a combination of traditional techniques and personal innovation. In my paintings, I place particular importance on brushwork. For me, a brushstroke should convey a feeling as well as an accurate physical depiction of time and place. Through the process of placing each stroke I work to convey my emotions and ideas of the landscape; endowing the piece with an awareness of place as well as a poetic and spiritual mood.

-Bryan Mark Taylor

Biography

A young and accomplished landscape painter, Bryan is currently working out of his Bay Area studio and teaching in the Graduate School at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. The West Coast landscape is an exciting challenge for Bryan who has spent the majority of his career depicting both the northern provinces of Italy and the Rocky Mountain region. Since moving to California, Bryan has connected with the plein air movement and has participated in many plein air events. He was juried into the San Luis Obispo Plein Air show in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and won an award in the 2005 show. He was also juried into the Sonoma Plein Air Festival in 2006.

Bryan has had several successful one-man shows and has exhibited in many group shows throughout the western United States. He is represented by galleries in Utah and California and his work is found in private collections around the country. Bryan is a member of Oil Painters of America and was juried into their 2005 National Exhibition. Bryan was also juried into the 2006 Spring Salon in Springville, Utah.

Bryan was born in Portland, Oregon. He received his BA from Brigham Young University in 2001 and his MFA from the Academy of Art University in 2005.