1st Draft by Luis Del Toro

Love & War Mark Bryce. 2021

The quotes are from Mark Bryce interview by Sinuhé Guevara. San Diego, United States. May, 30, 2017 (except where noted). The paintings in this catalog were featured in the Mark Bryce: Love & War exhibition at Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA), Oceanside, California, 2021. The Love & War exhibition was first shown at Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT) with a selection of 22 paintings in 2017.

Mark Bryce: Love & War May 22–September 19, 2021

Content 5 Artworks 11 Introduction by Maria Mingalone, Executive Director at Oceanside Museum of Art 55 Profile

Mark Bryce, The Love Fairy, 2013. Oil on panel,  24" x 38".

Mark Bryce, Venus Under the Gun, 2019. Oil on panel, 26" x 38".

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Mark Bryce, For Sale, 2014. Oil on panel, 26" x 38".

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Mark Bryce, Light Within, 2017. Oil on panel, 30" x 46".

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Mark Bryce, Heartthrob, 1999. Oil on panel, 16" x 18", 21" x 23" framed.

INTRODUCTION During conversations with Mark Bryce, he was deliberately cautious not to narrate individual works of art and therefore predispose the viewer to a certain reading that might not be their own, the conversation still illuminated insights into his work, his process, and the personal beliefs that inform his subject matter. This will be the first time Love & War is being shown in an American museum, and we are honored to bring his body of work to this side of the border. Love & War was first shown at the Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT) in Tijuana, Mexico in 2017. More often the work of foreign artists shown in this premier cultural center of northwestern Mexico focuses on dialogs of binationalism, immigration, or cross border relations. It was the first solo exhibition held at CECUT of an American painter contemplating political and social issues in American society, a reflection on the profound relevance the work had for the times. Bryce’s work, even those paintings made as early as 1998, are tied to contemporary dialog about what it means to be American, where ideals are fraught with realities that are not ideal. While viewers may see connections to the turbulent and unprecedented events that took place over the year preceding this exhibition, the connections can be traced on an even deeper level throughout a much longer span of time. The source of his work is a personal reflection on the human spirit and the ensuing tension between reality and hope. Bryce adds, “The work in the exhibition is intended to convey a broad view of humanity, which as an artist, I have been examining for decades. I intend for the paintings to transcend singular definition. There is a connection throughout the work examining the challenges of the human condition through the light of time, both physical and spiritual.” Stemming from his personal Buddhist beliefs and lifestyle as a surfer experiencing oneness with nature, Bryce’s work is equally influenced by a unique family legacy and a passion for American history. His direct descendent is John Adams, Founding Father and second U.S.

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Mark Bryce, Two, 2020.  Oil on panel, 16" x 14".

president, whose eternal pursuit was one of peace, and yet he fought for freedom with aspirations of a more perfect union defined in the U.S. Constitution. It may not be surprising, and perhaps may even seem fitting given his family background, that Bryce’s work is defined by traditional early American painting. He attended America’s first fine art museum and school, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, following in the footsteps of a long line of artists starting with Charles Willson Peale, William Rush, and Thomas Eatkins. By his early 20s, Bryce established his personal approach—a blend of 19th century American and northern Dutch painting, and time-honored techniques borrowed from Old Masters. The surfaces of his paintings are delicate, thinly-painted on birch panels with many layers of glazing, with visual references to iconic works in art history. In spite of having grown up in the artworld and living in New York during the 1970s and 80s after art school, Bryce continued to follow his own path, maintaining his personal style of realism, regardless of the trends being practiced by the artists around him. Key among the questions Bryce’s work leaves us with are: Have we lived up to human ideals elevated above ego, money, and power? Have we lived up to the ideals of the Constitution? The Oceanside Museum of Art team is deeply grateful to Virginia Repasky for her logistical support and CECUT for originating this impactful exhibition, and of course to Mark Bryce for adding newer works to the original exhibition.

Maria Mingalone Executive Director Oceanside Museum of Art

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Mark Bryce, Wedding Portrait, 1999. Oil on panel, 16" x 20", 21" x 25" framed.

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Mark Bryce, Portrait of the Artist, 1999. Oil on panel, 20" x 30".

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“While I have been making paintings for over four decades, these past 20 years, the work has primarily investigated the vast dichotomous shift of contemporary society and values as compared to even those of my youth. Rather than a specific theme, I think I’m most inspired by the act of painting itself. More often than not, painting is a personal salvation which permits me to create order out of the chaos.” Mark Bryce interview by Marcia Manna. San Diego-Union Tribune, October 6, 2017.

Mark Bryce, Three Graces, 2005. Oil on panel, 30" x 25".

Mark Bryce, Flicker, 2015. Oil on panel, 13" x 12".

Mark Bryce, Heart Alone, 2020. Oil on panel, 14" x 14".

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Mark Bryce, School Slate Boys, 1999. Oil on panel, 7.5" x 9.63". Mark Bryce, School Girl Fears, 1999. Oil on panel, 16" x 19".

Mark Bryce, School Slate Girls, 1999. Oil on panel, 7.5" x 9.63".

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“I was surrounded by art— contemporary, classical, and the great collections of art all my life. I grew up with it.”

Mark Bryce, Carney Love, 2013. Oil on panel, 16" x 20".

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Mark Bryce, Lust, 2014. Oil on panel, 16" x 20"

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Mark Bryce, Two Flames, 2018. Oil on panel, 20" x 30".

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Mark Bryce, F-Art, 2016. Oil on panel, 20" x 24".

Mark Bryce, Untitled. Oil on panel, 13" x 16.5".

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Mark Bryce, Truth, 2020. Oil on linen, 24" x 44".

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“My work investigates contemporary ideas and yet my paintings are light and, at times, humorous. This painting considers time–which is an essential element to all people. But isn’t time simply a human construct and perception? How does time exist without humans measuring it? So, then this leads into other reflections about its passage and the implications therein.”

Mark Bryce, Time II, 2017. Oil on panel, 18" x 15".

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Mark Bryce, Big Heart, 2019. Oil on panel, 30" x 40".

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Mark Bryce, Ken Confronts Mara, 1998. Oil on panel, 18.5" x 31", 23" x 36" framed.

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Mark Bryce, Homage to Howard Finster’s America, 2017. Oil on panel, 15" x 23".

Mark Bryce, Black Liberty, 2013. Oil on panel, 16" x 24".

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“The paintings generally originate from questions or observations. [What] is that challenge that we all face or that something that we all want or that fear that we all have? How do I say that? What can become of it?”

Mark Bryce, Uncle Sam, 2011. Oil on panel, 20" x 24".

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Mark Bryce, Peace Delegate, 2020. Oil on panel, 16" x 16".

Mark Bryce, Dimly Lit, 2020. Oil on panel, 24" x 20".

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Mark Bryce, Whose Truth, 2019. Oil on panel, 16" x 20".

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Mark Bryce, On Fire, 2019. Oil on panel, 26" x 38".

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“I’m primarly very interested in the ideologies that inspired those works of art to exist in the first place. Often, I’m combining many contexts and references into one work. When I am using appropriated imagery like Rodin’s The Kiss mixed with images of found objects like the wood blocks, I am not making merely a collage that shows where the images came from, but, in fact, I want to create an entirely new image which is the consequence of time, history, and self. The painting process brings all of these elements together.” Mark Bryce interview by Marcia Manna. San Diego-Union Tribune, October 6, 2017.

Mark Bryce, The Heart of the Target, 2011. Oil on panel, 24" x 36".

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Mark Bryce, Time Stands Still and the Artist Watches, 2013. Oil on panel, 26" x 38".

Artist Bio Mark Bryce (San Francisco, California, 1953) Bryce is a contemporary artist whose work derives from the formal traditions of American painting. With technical virtuosity, Bryce develops his narratives with cleverness and wit that engage the viewer in his distinctive artistic language. Deeply aware of the historical precedents of realism painting, he sometimes evokes images and memories, while at other times uses the elements of art history or painting. Born into a family with a long artistic tradition, he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Through his 40-year career, he has participated in more than 60 group exhibitions in several U.S. cities, as well as solo exhibitions in San Francisco, New York, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Wilmington (DE), in which he has been distinguished on several occasions. His work is included in the public collections of the Crocker Museum of Art, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, and The Free Library of Philadelphia, among others. Love & War shown in 2017 at the Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT) in Tijuana, Mexico was his first solo exhibition outside the United States.

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“My work is about perception and selfreflection. As an American, I examine American cultural history as reflected by art and artists and our relationship to it all.”

Mark Bryce, The Flame, 2014. Oil on panel, 40" x 44".

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“I love beautiful objects to begin with, yet when one distills a concept with your eye and your hand, it acomplishes something that photography cannot. The paintings are frequently a collage of very careful selected themes and objects that have their own implications of balance and tension.”

Mark Bryce, Memories of America, 2010. Oil on panel, 24" x 34".

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“There’s something absolutely wonderful about American culture, and there have been periods that have had tremendous influence in the world. Some of it has been extremely positive.”

Mark Bryce, Old Glory, 2013. Oil on panel, 7.5" x 9.5".

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“[John Adams] is a direct ancestor. My family came to the country in the 17th century…It was very interesting to read a description of him, how he thought and his political work, how he shaped the country, and, also, who he was as a person. I see some similarities with him in the way I think. That’s probably one of the reasons he’s in the painting. Also because he was such a pivotal figure in American history, as well as John Quincy [Adams].”

Mark Bryce, John’s Gun, 2017. Oil on panel, 20" x 24".

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Mark Bryce, WAR, 2012. Oil on panel, 16" x 24".

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Mark Bryce, Mocking Bird Children, 2019. Oil on panel, 26" x 38".

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Mark Bryce, TRUTH, 2020. Oil on panel, 20" x 44".

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