Bakersfield Museum of Art

“Bryan Ida : Life of Change: A Retrospective”

Sept 28th, 2023 – Jan 6th, 2024

I will be there this Saturday from 1-3 if you want to meet up

In the last cold wax series based on cities, I came up with a one off painting of rocks, inspired by river rocks that I would see while fly fishing rivers and steams. This painting inspired me to do a series, called “City and Nature, longing and Need” that would consume me for the following 3 years.

This oil paint based series contrasted man made straight lines and right angles with the natural beauty and soft curves of river rocks stacked one o top of the other. A city is a gathering place for culture and commerce filled with buildings, signs and man-made structures that block us from contact with nature creating a void that must be filled. In the rocks we can explore nature as we experience the solitude and natural beauty not associated with a city. There is a calm, a sense of time passing slowly and an ancient wildness.

“Rocks” 72 x 48 wax oil on canvas, 2004

“Fate and the Time We Have Together” 48 x 60 oil on canvas, 2004

“Balance” 66 x 48 oil on canvas 2004

“As Night Settles In” 48 x 40 oil on canvas 2005

“A Preference to be Entitled” 72 x 45 oil on canvas 2005

“Midnight” 48 x 60 oil on canvas 2006

“Looking in the Realm” 70 x 48 oil on canvas 2006

“Lost and Found” 60x 45 oil on canvas 2007

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

Sept 28th, 2023 – Jan 6th, 2024

I continued using cold wax medium as I began to develop a theme based on cities and their forms. I was intrigued by the everyday and the interactions of color and form that occur in the hustle and bustle of a crowded city and I explored the juxtaposition of disparate images in a single composition. I would explore the city as theme for the next decade in many various forms and techniques.

“The City” 48×48 oil, wax on canvas 2003

“Pensive Mood in the Moonlight” 40×48 oil, wax on canvas 2003

“What the Night Will Hold” 40×48 oil, wax on canvas 2003

“Center City” 40×48 oil, wax on canvas 2004

“On the Eve of My Destruction” 48×60 oil, wax on canvas

“As I Wander Do I See” 48×55 oil, wax on canvas 2004

I am thrilled to be working with the Los Angeles Lakers by participating in their “In the Paint”  organizational initiative that recognizes, supports, and uplifts artists of color in Los Angeles. In its third year, “In the Paint” strives to change the trajectory of a cohort of L.A.-based BIPOC artists’ careers through both in-kind funding and long-term programming supporting a creator economy.

The beauty of the city is the different stories that emerge from every neighborhood around this sprawling metropolis. As their home, the Lakers are honored to provide a platform to share these stories.

Thank you John Seed for including me in your book “More Disruption:Representational Art in Flux” his second book in a series of books about disrupted realism.  it’s an honor to be in the company of these great artists 

The book reveals the contemporary art phenomenon of disrupted realism through the paintings of 43 artists at its core.

Profoundly shaped by the events, forces, and overflow of today’s disjointed, social-media-heavy life, these artists’ paintings are “disrupted” stylistically, thematically, or sometimes both.

They allow us to appreciate how art relates to the “super-fast, simultaneous, almost dizzyingly paced scrolling” of our lives.

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