Three Peace

kiri-fuda has added a photo to the pool:

Three Peace

京都丹後鉄道1・Kyoto Tango Railway

anglo10 has added a photo to the pool:

京都丹後鉄道1・Kyoto Tango Railway

Colossal

The best of art, craft, and visual culture since 2010.

Social Realism and the Surreal Converge in Bryce Wymer’s Evocative Sketchbooks

Social Realism and the Surreal Converge in Bryce Wymer’s Evocative Sketchbooks

Mysterious light sources, geometric puzzles, disjointed figures, and bold hues characterize the diverse, narrative compositions of Bryce Wymer. The Brooklyn-based artist is known for his enigmatic, emotive murals, paintings, and illustrations. Merging the analog and the digital, Wymer’s pieces often explore themes of social interactions and power dynamics, often through a lens tinged with anxiety, mystery, and solitude.

Whether working on large-scale commissions or more intimate drawings, sketchbooks remain Wymer’s primary jumping-off points. “I’ve been keeping sketchbooks since middle school, when I filled them with graffiti tags, local DIY show flyer ideas, and zine layouts,” Wymer tells Colossal. “Over the years, they’ve evolved from casual notebooks into an essential part of my creative process. I carry one with me at all times, and without it, I feel pretty untethered.”

The artist often makes his way through three to four books each year, sometimes experimenting with compositions on grander canvases but often leaving them within their small format. “Some lose their raw energy when translated to a larger scale, which is a tension I enjoy trying to navigate,” he says. “That in-between space, where an idea first lands and where it eventually ends up, is part of what keeps the process so compelling.”

Wymer has recently been focused on figurative motifs that examine what he describes as “quiet tension and emotional complexity.” He positions the figures within minimal environments, highlighting social dynamics with undercurrents of vulnerability and perceptions of control—or lack thereof.

Flat planes of saturated color nod to Social Realism, a movement that emerged between the World Wars and shone a light on everyday people as heroes in the face of especially government-generated adversity. For Wymer, Social Realism is indelibly linked to emotional and collective experience, which he channels through a varied and ever-evolving contemporary aesthetic. “More than anything, the sketchbook is my playground, free from expectations or fear of failure,” he says. “In any artistic practice, it’s important to have a space where very few rules exist.”

See more on Wymer’s website and Instagram, and watch even more timelapses on his Vimeo channel.

a sketchbook spread by Bryce Wymer with abstract illustrations and human anatomical parts
a sketchbook spread by Bryce Wymer featuring the letter "B" with two red arms going through the loops
a sketchbook spread by Bryce Wymer featuring abstract forms and human anatomical forms
a sketchbook spread by Bryce Wymer featuring abstract, surrealist shapes
a sketchbook spread by Bryce Wymer of an abstract tropical plant
a sketchbook spread by Bryce Wymer featuring cartoonish and abstracted shapes and human anatomical forms
a sketchbook spread by Bryce Wymer featuring a cartoonish green figure on all fours next to two vessels
a sketchbook spread by Bryce Wymer of a sketchy horse rolling on its side
a sketchbook spread by Bryce Wymer of airplane seats with people in them

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Social Realism and the Surreal Converge in Bryce Wymer’s Evocative Sketchbooks appeared first on Colossal.

Gang-gang Cockatoo

Steve W3 has added a photo to the pool:

Gang-gang Cockatoo

Have been trying to grab images of these elusive Cockatoos for along time and was graced with their presence with a recent trip to Canberra ACT.

Tree-Ross

Marjorie Baylis has added a photo to the pool:

Tree-Ross

Rijnmond - Nieuws

Het laatste nieuws van vandaag over Rotterdam, Feyenoord, het verkeer en het weer in de regio Rijnmond

LIVE: Feyenoord-PSV

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Feyenoord neemt het in een kraker op tegen regerend landskampioen PSV. Als de mannen van Van Persie winnen, vergroten ze het gat met de huidige nummer twee van de eredivisie naar zes punten. Rijnmond is erbij!

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Van mis tot museum: nieuwe directeur Museum Rotterdam vol plannen voor voormalige kerk

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