Comprising 39 paintings, Mark Bryce: Love & War explores the artist’s deepening interest in universal topics such as love, violence, human frailty, and loneliness.

Bryce pursues an open exploration of painting and uses the fundamental elements—of paint and wood panel—to skillfully investigate contemporary ideas and ideologies. Deeply aware of the historical precedents of realist painting, he sometimes evokes images and memories, while at other times uses the elements of painting to its own end. Inherent throughout his work are issues of perception and understanding. With technical virtuosity, Bryce develops his narratives with cleverness and wit that engage the viewer in his distinctive artistic language. Fundamental to this exhibition is the commanding use of Bryce's exquisite pictorial technique, capable of portraying an object, as well as a classic work of art, in the most faithful way. 

Originally organized by the Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT), OMA expands on the exhibition and situates the San Diego-based artist’s work within the social and political contexts that are essential to his practice. New paintings will be anchored by a selection of earlier pieces that illustrate the breadth of his work and the vast possibilities of painting itself. 

Born in San Francisco, Bryce studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, and has been painting and exhibiting for the past five decades. He has been featured in solo exhibitions in San Francisco, New York, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Tijuana (MX), Wilmington (DE) and Philadelphia, as well as numerous national group shows. His work is included in the collections of the Crocker Museum of Art (Sacramento, CA), the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (CA), and The Free Library of Philadelphia (PA), among others. He lives and works in San Diego.

© Mark Bryce, artworks and photos