Meet Representational Painter Quinn Bryan — Inside Art with Michael Rose

Meet Representational Painter Quinn Bryan — Inside Art with Michael Rose

 

An eye for detail is an impressive talent and audiences often swoon at convincing artworks. For local artist Quinn Bryan, who paints under the name Olive the Giant, photographic paintings are her forte. Through August 25, this talented representational painter is the subject of an exhibition titled Heirloom at World’s Fair Gallery in Providence. The show offers a fine selection of Bryan’s paintings, which exemplify her excellent technical ability and propensity for exquisite detail.

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Asked about the genesis of her artist name Olive the Giant, Bryan says, “The name was actually a mash up between a nickname and an overall mood. I obviously love olives - the actual fruit, and I named my first Jeep Olive. I fully committed with a vanity plate. The Giant is a play on that age old, “I thought you’d be taller in person” but also a manifestation of being large in presence and in spirit.” A Rhode Islander and a RIC alumnus, Olive is primarily a painter but has also worked on public art and participated in the Black Lives Matter mural collaboration for Kennedy Plaza.

 

 

Much of Bryan’s work is imbued with personal meaning, hence the exhibition title. Four of the paintings on view in her show at World’s Fair Gallery feature family members. Painted based on images from her family archive, each piece captures a meaningful sense of personality for its sitter. In one image, Bryan depicts her uncle Glenn, who passed in 2020, in the form of a snapshot taken during his time in the military. She transposes both his portrait and the handwritten notation from the border of the image. While these works are full of resonance for their maker, they also offer lessons to viewers.

 

 

Speaking of what she hopes visitors to her show will take away from seeing her personal work, Bryan says, “My hope is that they see themselves and their families, their wonderment and memories represented through a dynamic Black American family.”

 

Beyond her familial portraits, Bryan is also showing a body of small paintings that focus on objects. Bubblegum wrappers, empty beer bottles, and crumpled cigarette boxes are some of the subjects. The scale of these pieces draws in the eye and invites the viewer to look closely in order to better appreciate Bryan’s adept skill for capturing tiny details.

 

 

Reflecting on her use of small scale in these works, Bryan says, “I think it’s a gift and a curse. I think in a time where bigger is better it’s always a feeling of ‘should this be bigger?’ Ultimately, I think that in the smaller scale I am able to get a lot of the little ideas in my head out. The small scale releases the, sometimes daunting pressure of filling a large canvas. They’re especially important to me in-between larger or more difficult works, they encourage me to have fun and enjoy myself - not take myself too seriously in this very serious space of fine art.”

 

Bryan’s paintings are poignant, endearing, and well-crafted. On view all summer at World’s Fair, they are must-see artworks.

 

 

Bryan’s work in Heirloom is expertly paired with neons by Nick McKnight and vessels from Fritz Glass. Asked about how she assembled this grouping, curator and World’s Fair owner Willa Van Nostrand says, “I had wanted to work with Quinn for years, but I hadn't found the correct 3D pairing yet... until I met Nick McKnight. Nick is such a brilliant neon artist because he brings his poetics to life through glass in a way that encourages the viewer into a playful conceptual mindspace. Both Quinn and Nick know how to play, and each of them hold a sacred space for that in their work... this capacity for a sort of reverent irreverence. Fritz Lauenstein's work has this incredible vibrant 'electric' quality in his long spiraling mediated lines. For me, the Fritz Glass vessels are a nod to the neon in the show senza (without) argon and electricity. Each vessel and colorway complements a painting or neon work in the gallery. The best part about the vessels is that they embody the same power that the paintings and the neon glass hold. That's a pretty special vessel to hold that kind of space. Fritz glass was truly the icing on the cake, a perfect synthesis of color and line.”

 

Van Nostrand is passionate about Bryan’s work, saying, “Quinn's family portraits and still lifes hold this innate power - in color, figure, and form. She truly understands vibe.”

 

Work by Quinn Bryan, aka Olive the Giant, is on view at World’s Fair Gallery at 268 Broadway in Providence through August 25, 2023. Learn more and plan your visit at www.worldsfairgallery.com.

 

Follow Olive the Giant on Instagram and keep up with her studio practice via @olivethegiant_