Brian joined the department in 1985. He is a representational painter whose current series of psycho-mythological narratives explores those transitional, tentative moments that occur between times of purposeful activity. In an age that is often categorized as being in a perpetual state of crisis he seeks, by monumentalizing the ordinary, to reinforce the shared human core that is embedded in everyday experience.
In November of 2001 McGraw-Hill College Division published an introductory perceptual drawing text, Drawing from Observation that was written, illustrated, designed and produced by Brian. This book is generously illustrated with UM student drawings from our ART 101 course. This book was translated into Short-Form Chinese and published out of Singapore in 2006. In January of 2009 McGraw-Hill released a revised second edition of this drawing text with a new chapter on pictorial composition, 100 new student images, 93 new technical illustrations, and 25 new master work images.
Over the past eigth years Brian has delivering papers at a variety of national art organizations. In 2001 he presented a paper titled "Preserving the Post-Medieval Mindset" for a CAA panel in New York on the importance of perceptual drawing in the 21st Century. In 2002 he presented a paper titled "Sacred Geometry in Ancient Art and Architecture" for a MACCA panel in Lincoln, NE titled The Artist Geometer. In 2004 Brian presented a dissenting paper at the MACAA meeting in Minneapolis, MN for a panel on innovative uses of digital technology in Foundation Art Programs" titled "Is the Technological Cart Pulling the Pedagogical Horse." In 2005 Brian chaired a FATE panel at the CAA in Atlanta, GA titled "The Emperor's New Clothes: Are the Recent Developments in Foundations Art Curricula as Silly as They Seem?" In 2006 Brian was asked to reprise his paper on technology at the FATE Biennial in Columbus, OH. That same year he presented a paper titled " titled "Denuding the Curriculum" at the MACAA/SECAC conference in Nashville, TN for a panel on the role of figure drawing in the 21st Century. In 2007 Brian pressented a paper for a FATE panel at CAA in NY, NY titled "A Voice Crying in the Wilderness" that stressed the importance of traditional studio training in an age that privileges the the de-skilling, dematerializing approaches favored by postmodernism. In 2009 Brian presented paper at the CAA in Los Angeles titled Why Art aint N'art" and two at the FATE Biennial in Portland, OR , "Leonardo's Legacy" and "Art before N'art". In October of 2009 Brian will be presenting a paper at the SECAC conference in Mobile, AL on the use of digital technology in traditional studio practice titled "Digital Disegno: pixels and oil paint"
In the spring of 1999 Brian was awarded the Dean's Excellence in Teaching award and was also a finalist for the Excellence in Teaching Award for the University for both 1999 and 2000. He was nominated again in 2003.
Brian is the head of our drawing program and also works with students in our painting and printmaking programs.
