Bruce Brickman
Skill and love are the cornerstones of all great art & design”
A local and international artist and designer, Bruce Brickman’s
painting explores his personal insights through realism, and
abstraction mixed with realism. Bruce's primary objective in painting
& design is to “catch the essence” of the subject and combine
technical skills with love and intuition. This approach, in being
absorbed into what one is doing and serving the projects greatest needs is what is the most
satisfying aspect of both painting and designing.
Bruce's experience traveling internationally and living abroad has afforded him many opportunities
in the art world. He lived and worked as an artist in Tokyo for more than seven years. While
living there, he participated in numerous exhibitions at such prestigious institutions as the Tokyo
Metropolitan Art Museum as well as various highly acclaimed galleries. Individuals and
corporations sought out his selected commissions, which included murals, portraits, and design.
Sony Corporation commissioned Bruce to paint portraits of its President, Mr. Akio Morita, “Mr.
Sony.” One of the portraits was selected for the cover of a national publication and is the
property of the Morita family. One of Bruce's ceiling murals was publicized in Shoten Kenchiku,
Japan’s Architectural Digest and another in Japan’s newspaper.
Since returning from Japan, Bruce has executed a romantic ceiling mural with life-size figures,
swans, and gold leaf gilding in the historical home of Dr. Charles Briggs, CEO of Sunsoft
Corporation. Other notable commissions have included a mural for Orion International
Technologies as well as many portraits both private and corporate. He also consulted for
nationally recognized Native American artist Bruce LaFountain on several projects including a
commission for Foxwood's Hotel and Casino Resort, the world's largest hotel and casino. In the
year that has been here he has painted a mural for the Portland Children’s Museum, assisted with
the John Day Museum mural, has worked with Portland Center Stage on set backgrounds, and
done conceptual rendering for Michael Curry Design as well as other private commissions, and
consultations.
Awards and honors have been numerous for this talented and gifted artist. Among them has been
the Award of Excellence by the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Bruce also received an Award
of Excellence for portraiture from Communication Arts. He consulted, designed, and created
artwork for five prize winning booths for the biannual textile collections of Kanebo, Ltd., as well
as many others. Locally, at the Columbia Center Art Show he recently won first place for a
portrait and was awarded the People’s Choice Award by the Columbia Arts Guild.
Bruce has developed a broad repertoire that encompasses murals, portraits, and design. His love
of painting and design continues to be influenced by the principles he sees reflected in life, evident
in his use of color, simple compositions and complex textures.
