July 11th, 2016

by Eileen Treasure, Fine Art Consultant

Gallery MAR is proud to announce we have added the exquisite sculpture of Bryon Draper to our collection. He is a professor of art at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

“Broken Amulet” by Bryon Draper, Stone and Bronze

Draper combines found limestone from the mountains surrounding his home in Utah Valley with cast bronze in its natural patina coloring. This natural coloration occurs during the bronze pour. The rough bronze still shows traces of the mold material, which helps to unify the stone and bronze and a single piece.   They are more perfectly married together as one figure, neither overshadowing or outshining the other. Each work feels like a relic, a sculpture from another time.

“Left-Handed Offering” by Bryon Draper, Stone and Bronze

Draper references iconic poses from antiquity — but in a contemporary way. We have a perception of these traditional figures, yet we are confronted with a modern-day presentation of the figure attached to stone. The figure is fragmented, and some parts are missing, like parts of ideas that are not fully understood.

Just like these sculptures, our own reality is often fragmented out of ideas from our past coming together with our present day.  Draper asks, “Do we ever see the whole picture?”

“Divine Consort” by Bryon Draper, Stone and Bronze

“Royal Steward” by Bryon Draper, Stone and Bronze