Bryan Ricci

click images to enlarge

Buckeye in the Sky, 2008

oil on photograph mounted on panel
18" x 12

Yellow Warbler Sittin' in a Tree, 2008

oil on photograph
mounted on panel

8" x 8"

Last Polar Bear on Earth, 2007

oil on photograph mounted on panel

11" x 14"

Red Fox in The Green Mountains, 2008

oil on photograph mounted on panel

12" x 18"

Summer Lovin', 2008

oil on photograph mounted on panel
12" x 18"

Penguin, 2007

12"x12"
oil on photograph

Jackalope, 2007

11"x14"

oil on photograph

Bryan Ricci

Dogtown, 2007, 11" x 14", oil on photograph mounted on panel

I have always been interested in the way people in today’s fast-paced, high-tech culture perceive (or fail to perceive) their environment, with specific regard to nature and animals. In other words, my paintings attempt to pose the question: To what extent have we become physically, morally, and emotionally removed from our natural environments? Is our day-to-day experience with nature perceived or real? Also, how much of this separation is the effect of our obsession with technology?

To examine these ideas in my newer work, (the series involving painted dots on photographs), I chose to synthesize a traditional medium of artistic expression (oil paint) with a technique that mimics the more modern pixelized images we see everyday on the internet and other media. I started by photographing a landscape with a digital camera. Then, I hand-pixelated an animal that I felt fit the scene, either realistically or ironically. I wanted each piece to tell its own individual story.

In all of my work, I am interested in bringing to light the ever-increasing disparities between the limited scope of our understanding of and experience with nature, (partly due to the replacement of the digital experience for what is real), and the enormity and timelessness of the natural world that goes unnoticed. My paintings serve as a reminder of human ignorance and neglect, an invitation to look deeper, and a challenge to question and examine your own perceptions.

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BIO

Education

Purchase College School of Art and Design SUNY     1998-2000

Keene State College                                                               1997-1998



College of Saint Rose                                                              1995-1997

Solo Exhibitions

2005

A Closer Look,

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Los Angeles, CA

2004

Super Natural, The Jazz Bakery
Los Angeles, CA

2003

New Paintings, Gallery 825

Los Angeles, CA



2002

Eco Art, The Eco Station

Los Angeles, CA

Endangered Species, The Jazz Bakery
Los Angeles, CA






Group Exhibitions

2006

American Artists and Their Tour of Korea

Insa Art Center, Gallery Ann. Seoul, Korea

Bugology, Armory Center for the Arts                                    Pasadena, CA

2005

Petite Works, Gallery 825 Annex

Bergamot Station. Santa Monica, CA

The F Stops Here, Gallery 825/LAAA

Los Angeles, CA

50/50 Show, Gallery 825/LAAA

Los Angeles, CA

Open show 2005, Gallery 825/LAAA

Los Angeles, CA.  Juror: James Elaine

2004

Bug-Eyed: Art, Culture, Insects

Turtle Bay Exploration Park. Redding, CA

Hollywood Bowl Sphere Project,

Track 16 Gallery. Santa Monica, CA



Awards

Member 825 Gallery/LAAA
Los Angeles, CA
People’s Choice Award 1st Prize,

Art on Lark. Albany, NY