“I bring to life what i see when i meditate”
Bret Reilly
Born: Tarrytown, N.Y. 1967
Artist’s Statement:
Re the Figurative Series:
I love to create snapshots of everyday life—reflections of recognizable moments. My art encourages the viewer to laugh at themselves and the world we live in. There is a stage-presence energy that embodies my work—a quality that attracts the viewer’s eye like they are being entertained rather than just looking at a static piece of art. For figurative work to be successful, it must resonate life and breathe through movement and energy. My pieces reflect my personality and, as a result, have given me a recognizable style. My use of real shoes has become a signature incorporated found object in my figurative work. In fact, with my figurative work, it’s become more of my signature than actually signing the pieces. The colorful shoes are the exclamation point that initially draws the viewer in. From there, it is my responsibility and challenge to get their attention away from the prop and allow them to discover the emotion of the piece. But I know I am not the first artist to use real objects like shoes in their work.
As a young child, my mom often brought me to the museums in New York City. I was captivated immediately atthe Metropolitan Museum of Art by Degas’ “The Little Fourteen Year Old Dancer.” There she was, captured
forever in bronze, yet wearing a skirt made of real fabric. I knew then that I was an artist and that there were no rules or restrictions—art is the complete freedom to express myself by making something with my hands,
however I want to make it. I put sneakers on the first sculpture I made in art school in 1985 and never looked back. Mom gets credit for exposing me to my heroes—Degas, Rodin, Giacometti. Dad gets credit for the white. Architects never retire, and at 92, Dad is still a great aesthetic resource for me. He built his dream house in 1967, the year I was born. It was a four-story round house on stilts, built on an enormous rock. Every bit of wall, floor, and stair was painted white. Like my father before me, I was raised with a minimalist eye. Painting my work all white allows the viewer to discover the overall movement and emotion. Similarly, leaving the faces void of too much detail allows the viewer to finish the piece themselves—to recognize someone they already know captured in the mood and gestures of the sculpture or to introspectively see themselves mirrored in the faceless characters. My favorite paintings are the ones that evoke a much larger
experience than what is physically painted on the canvas—where an artist’s expression becomes a different realization for each person that encounters it—and that is what I strive to bring to each of my sculptures. I find
my work situational—exploring moments of day to day life that most people have experienced themselves—going to the beach, waiting in line, or in this case, relaxing on a swing. In a time where technology is rapidly changing and more and more clouds of fear loom over the human spirit, I find reflecting human emotions through simple topics comforting and engaging.
Re the Crumpled Series
In this series, i transform flat surfaces into brutalist topographies. These blank multi-dimensional surfaces could be appreciated in their own right as finished works; however the process has just begun – recreating recognizable/iconic faces like Abraham Lincolne onto these random surfaces. In doing so, Im providing the viewer a bold and unique way of seeing something they’ve seen a thousand times …but in a way they’v e never seen it before.
The crumpled series intertwines the ethereal essence of Impressionism with the dreamlike qualities of Surrealism, blurring the line between canvas and sculpture. The pieces evoke a sense of fluidity and depth,
capturing ephemeral moments while infusing them with a palpable, three-dimensional presence
Each work provides limitless views, expressions and realities, as the crumpled image causes the subject’s expression to change as the viewer moves around the work. Each painting is its own funhouse of mirrors,
creating kinetic abstraction, only returning to reality once the viewer’s eye is centered on the subject.
The crumpled and sometimes torn surfaces echo the fragility and flawed human experience of each subject, and in turn hang as mirrors for the viewer to reflect on their own imperfect beauty.
Re the Storytelling Series:
My latest work is defined by what manifests when the artist allows himself to get lost in the process. There are untold stories that can only be found when new mediums are investigated—committing time to exploring
materials when the end result is still unknown. During this process, a story reveals itself and the work continues with intention. Current works include, “Under The Cover Of Darkness”, “Into The Valley Of Giants”,
and “Not Without You.”
Re the Exclamation Series:
My fascination with balloon-inspired shapes—which can be prominently found in the Storytelling Series —is clearly on display in my most recent “Exclamation” and “Bird” series. In what i believe to be an easily recognizable and potentially iconic brand, the Exlamation Series celebrates celebrates simple living things and recognizable objects by creating three-dimensional exclamation points. The top vertical line of the
exclamation point is represented by an elongated balloon shape, while the bottom point is replaced by virtually anything i choose to celebrate – from farm animals, ocean creatures and people to tools, cars and planes.
Selected Exhibitions
Hamptons Fine Art Fair, RMFA
July 9-12, 2026
Waterworks, Ric Michel Fine Art J
June 12-August 15, 2026
Scottsdale Art Week, AiBo Gallery
March 19-22, 2026
Art Palm Beach + Contemporary, AiBo Gallery
January 28-February 1, 2026
Art Miami, AiBo Gallery
December 2-7, 2025
Hamptons Fine Art Fair, AiBo Gallery
July 10-13, 2025
Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary,
AiBo Gallery. March 20-23, 2025
Art Palm Beach + Contemporary, AiBo Gallery
January 22-26, 2025
Art Miami, AiBo Gallery
December 3-8, 2024
Art On Paper New York, AiBo Gallery
September 5-8, 2024
Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary
AiBo Gallery
March 21-24, 2024
Art Palm Beach + Contemporary, AiBo Gallery
January 25-28, 2024
“Umbrella”, solo exhibition
Colm Rowan Fine Art, East Hampton, New York
August 20-September 11, 2022
“Swing”, solo exhibition
Colm Rowan Fine Art, East Hampton, New York
August 14-29, 2021
Colm Rowan Fine Art, Fall Group Show
September 19-December 24, 2020