Bakersfield Museum of Art
“Bryan Ida : Life of Change: A Retrospective”

Opening Reception Sept 28th 7-9 pm

Sept 28th, 2023 – Jan 6th, 2024

Cold Wax series 2001-2003.

In 2001 I started experimenting with cold wax medium by mixing it into oil paint, allowing it to partially cure then carving into the painting.

I would then load the scars with paint and sand it back even with the surface. This would produce very fine lines with many imperfections where the surface cracked as I scratched into it.

“Test of Nine” 36×48 wax oil on canvas 2001

“Deep Under” 48×36 wax oil on canvas 2001

“Talisman II” wax oil on panel 2001

“Rocks” 72×48 wax oil on canvas 2001

“Genesis Travel” wax oil on canvas 2001

“Serenity” wax oil on canvas 2001

A short “Leaves” series followed the flower series in 2001 where I really started working with
the idea of integrating the background, mid ground and foreground. I was thinking about how I
could have separation of the planes, but integrate them and make them relate to each other.
I was hoping to have them work together and integrate on all levels.

The idea of Leaves as a theme brought me in the direction of the natural world and ecosystems
that I would revisit later in my artistic journey.

Bakersfield Museum of Art
“Bryan Ida : Life of Change: A Retrospective”
September 28th, 2023 – January 6th, 2024

“Leaves-Red Leaves” 36×32 oil on canvas 2001

“Leaves 2,3” 36×32 oil on canvas 2001

“Leaves-Blue Autumn Leaves” 36×36 oil on canvas 2001

“Leaves- Blue Leaves” 36×36 oil on canvas 2001

“Leaves -The City” 36×36 oil on canvas 2001

“Leaves-Still Life” 36×36 oil on canvas 2001

As my skill grew I began seeing figures and landscapes that needed to get onto canvas. I went with what I saw and interspersed isolated portraits, landscapes and funny animals in with the flower series I was working through.

In these one offs from this time period of 2000 to 2001 you can see a glimpse of future work.

Bakersfield Museum of Art
“Bryan Ida : Life of Change: A Retrospective”
September 28th, 2023 – January 6th, 2024

“Girl in Blue” 36×48 oil on canvas 2001

“Landscape” 36×48 oil on canvas 2001

“Figure in Blue” 36×24 oil on canvas 2001

“Figure in Red” 48×36 oil on canvas 2001

“Aye You’se” 48×30 oil on canvas 2001

“Buck Why” 48×38 oil on canvas 2001

“Toofy” 12×9 oil on canvas 2001

“Happy Guy” 12×9 oil on canvas 2001

Following the “Lights” series I was searching for a theme that would hold my creativity and inspire me. I was painting everyday and from this emerged a flower series.

I was trying to tighten the brush further and establish a style and gain more control over each stroke. Moving from freedom and accidents to something with more intent.

Bakersfield Museum of Art
“Bryan Ida : Life of Change: A Retrospective”
September 28th, 2023 – January 6th, 2024

“Twilight” 60×48 oil on canvas 2000

“Red Fan” 60×48 oil on canvas 2000

“Summer Swing” 48×36 oil on canvas 2000

“Orange over Blue” 48×36 oil on canvas 2000

“The Garden” 48×48 oil on canvas 2000

Following the renaissance series I added a full palette of color and explored glazing and layers with my “Lights” series in 1999.

In this new direction the imagery began to have intent and to represent something as opposed to gestures and abstract forms and the brush became more disciplined.

I was always intrigued by the limitations of the visible color spectrum and how it relates to the audible spectrum of sound waves. Within this limitation of perception there lies unlimited variations and combinations.

Bakersfield Museum of Art
“Bryan Ida : Life of Change: A Retrospective”
September 28th, 2023 – January 6th, 2024

“Green Lights” 48×30 oil on canvas 1999

“Blue Lights” 48×30 oil on canvas 1999

“Red Lights” 30×48 oil on canvas 1999

Untitled 48×48 oil on canvas 1999

Many of the concepts of music are with me to this day with harmony and melody being prime examples. Harmony in music builds the base upon which melody can soar to unencumbered expression and emotion. This for me correlates to a technique in painting called glazing where thin transparent colors are layered on top of each other to build darkness and depth.

In 1997 I discovered a technique used during the renaissance where they used many layers of paint to build a transparent, luminous black instead of an opaque, flat black. The colors used were yellow ochre, burnt sienna, terre verte green, alizarin crimson, prussian blue and aureolin yellow. In order to learn more about glazing and building a luminous dark I reduced my palette to these 6 colors. You can see the luminosity coming from the back instead of light highlights painted over the top.

Bakersfield Museum of Art
“Bryan Ida : Life of Change: A Retrospective”
September 28th, 2023 – January 6th, 2024

“004 Renaissance” oil on paper 1998

“005 Renaissance” oil on paper 1998

“011 Renaissance” oil on paper 1999

“012 Renaissance” oil on paper 1999

“Radiance” 36 x 48 oil on canvas 1999

“Impermanence” 36 x48 oil on canvas 1999

“I Face Myself” 48 x 48 oil on canvas 1999

A tool I frequently use is to reduce my palette to black and white. This allows me to further explore the properties of oil paint while only having to think about value and composition. As I paint my brushwork continues to get tighter and I begin to find my own voice with ideas pouring out of my head on a daily basis. I remember the anticipation of going into the studio to see what would happen that day.

There is something to be said for simplifying what is around you so that one can appreciate its fullness.

Bakersfield Museum of Art.
“Bryan Ida : Life of Change: A Retrospective”
September 28th, 2023 – January 6th, 2024

“Black and White 15” 36×60 oil on paper 1997

“Black and White 14” 36×60 oil on paper 1997

“Black and White 12” 48×48 oil on canvas 1997

“Black and White 11” 48×36 oil on canvas 1997

“Black and White 10” 48×36 oil on canvas 1997

“Black and White 13” 48×36 oil on canvas 1997

My work is always changing and has evolved radically from my earliest work to what I am
currently painting. I have always followed my intuition, but it takes a certain bravery and
belief to abandon a series that might be lucrative to chase a new idea.

Sometime in 96-97 while working in oils I reduced my palette once again to just blues. I
didn’t feel like I had the connection and ease with blue pigments that I had with red and
yellow. I remember understanding the subtleties between red and yellow pigments and
the varying shades, tones and tints of the pigments, but I didn’t feel the same with the blue
hues. I decided to limit my palette to blue. I was still derivative of Sam’s free, broad stroke
style, but I was working to try and get more intent with the brush while turning a weakness
into a strength.

Bakersfield Museum of Art.
“Bryan Ida : Life of Change: A Retrospective”
September 28th, 2023 – January 6th, 2024

“Blue 05” 19×19 oil on paper 1996

“Blue 09” 12×15 oil on paper 1996

“Blue 22” 26×37 oil on paper 1996

“Blue 23” 26×38 oil on paper 1996

“Blue 31” 48×32 oil on paper 1996

“Blue 32” 48×32 oil on paper 1996

After exploring acrylic paint for a few years and learning something of how it works I was intrigued by oil paint with its different nuance and properties. I completely abandoned acrylic for oil looking to learn some of its secrets. The movement and its reactions were completely different from acrylic, not in a bad way just different. I explored familiar imagery, but the pigments reacted completely different in thinner and air and I knew I would explore this medium much more in depth.

With these early oils I was still working on paper trying to complete a painting a day as I continued my exploration into color, form, and emotion using this new medium. My painting journey has taken me through many mediums and techniques with one constant, I visualize something and try to figure out how to do it in my own way as I attempt to connect with viewers and evoke an emotional response. I always learn with deeper conviction when I figure it out rather than being told what to do.

Change is life, Life is change.

Bakersfield Museum of Art.
“Bryan Ida : Life of Change: A Retrospective”
September 28th, 2023 – January 6th, 2024

Untitled 32×48 oil on paper 1997

Untitled 32×48 oil on paper 1997

Untitled 32×48 oil on paper 1997

Untitled 32×48 oil on paper 1997

Untitled 32×48 oil on paper 1997

Untitled 32×48 oil on paper 1997

Black and White Studies 1996

From my beginning in acrylic paint I have always looked to innovate, move forward and push the boundaries of my skill. Rather than live a life of artistic stasis and repetition I chose to embrace change. I change my work every 4-5 years sometimes sooner as I like to experiment, learn and allow the work to evolve while these trials take me in different directions.

As I go through my archive and travel through time to these past series I remember some of my thoughts that went into the work. I did a lot of work on paper early and just threw them in drawers and packets where they sat for 25 years.

At times in an effort to push myself and learn I will reduce my palette to just black and white or a single color. In this early period I began utilizing charcoal and acrylic to study value and gesture as I continued to use the expressive, large-movement language of abstraction that I started with. I was looking to distill movement and create a context as well as find something cohesive, complete and powerful as the focus of my brush narrowed.

Bakersfield Museum of Art.
“Bryan Ida : A Life of Change”
September 28th, 2023 – January 6th, 2024

Untitled 40×25 charcoal on paper 1995

Untitled 25×40 charcoal on paper 1995

Untitled 25×40 charcoal on paper 1995

Untitled 25×40 charcoal on paper 1995

Untitled 48×36 acrylic on canvas 1995

Untitled 48×36 acrylic on canvas 1995