Brent Holland

Brent Holland's attraction to figurative drawing and painting stems from his interest in the formal study of the human body as well as the psychological implications of the subject. He uses the portrait to investigate personal relationships as well as his own emotional tendencies.

Brent writes, "In 2003 I returned to working directly from life, with special emphasis on self-portraiture. The portrait paintings speak to personal relationships while reflecting anxious and color-saturated life experiences. The self-portraits are also statements in the present that gather steam from my memory and carry with them personal baggage that I have wrestled with during my life to address my identity, culture, family traditions, and the discomforting nature of reconciliation. In my case, there is a struggle to retain a personal identity, and my work is part of a conscious effort to pay close attention to the nuances of human behavior and individual psychology. Even though the human face and body is universal, simultaneously it is specific and complex. However subtle, the lip quiver and raised brow, even for a moment, could be telling of disgust, shame, paranoia, or excitement. To have a better understanding of the complex nature of being alive in the 21st Century, I must observe the details of my sphere of existence."

Brent is an associate professor in the College of Design at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. He received his MFA degree in painting from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA and he received his BFA degree in drawing from Missouri State University in Springfield, MO. He exhibits his work nationally.

SELF PORTRAIT Oil on wood panel 11 x 9 $2500.00	ERICA D I Ink & graphite on foam panel 48 x 40 $3000.00
SELF PORTRAIT D V Charcoal on wood panel 48 x 40 $3000.00