Author: Janice Kerber
The current exhibit in the Gallery at Briarwood — on display from January 4th through February 28th — features the portraiture of Bruce Dean, a local painter and photographer. Over the centuries, portraits were commissioned by the wealthy. The subject’s facial features were often idealized and accompanied by elaborate backgrounds reflecting the individual’s accomplishments or importance. These works by Bruce Dean reflect today’s loosening of these strict, formal traditions while still focusing on the face to capture the essence of the subject. The fifty works on display include large oil paintings, prints, and pencil drawings. Bruce chose subjects who, in his eyes, have made their communities better, locally, nationally or internationally.
Most of the pieces are done on high-quality Strathmore drawing pads. A unique feature of some of these portraits is that they are done on repurposed cardboard of all types, even a pizza box. The artist’s use of cardboard originally began when he accidentally left his prepared canvases at home. His solution was to paint on pieces of a cardboard box he retrieved from the trunk of his car. On his website, Bruce reminds the viewer that other artists have painted on cardboard, including Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Jamie Wyeth.
A teacher at heart after 35 years as an art instructor in the public schools of Leominster and Uxbridge, Bruce encourages us all to create art with whatever materials we have on hand. This recycling of “found” materials, in place of expensive art supplies, helps the environment and contributes to making the world a better place, an ideal long admired by the artist.
A returning exhibitor to the Gallery, Bruce especially appreciates displaying his works at Briarwood because of his connection to residents who formerly lived in Princeton, including mentors Ann Flat and Merry Pratt-Walters. He is a member of both the Princeton Art Society and an off-shoot organization, the Princeton Portrait Group, which meets every Tuesday to support and encourage the artists.
Visit the Briarwood Gallery between January 4th and February 28th, 2025, to see Bruce’s work on display.