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Bryn Gillette Painting in his sketchbook in Zion National Park, Utah during the summer of 2002.
Hello Friends, my name is Bryn Gillette and I would like to tell you a little bit about the artwork that you see on this site and what inspired it. I hope my following comments will some shed light on my work and answer your questions, and if you have any further comments or questions I would love to hear from you at: bryn@artbybryn.com. Thank you for visiting my site.

I graduated from Gordon College in December of 2001 with degrees in the Visual Arts and Biblical Studies. My senior year I designed a semester of independent study that took me backpacking alone through Europe for many months exploring art history, film-making, and landscape painting. It was during this time of travel that I discovered the charm and mobility of watercolors, and with this new found medium I also discovered my love for capturing the essences of the places I saw. Time of day, mood, light, temperature, season, and presence all became the ingredients in making my paintings. The paintings on this site from Europe all came from that semester of travel. Each painting was actually a postcard on which I documented my visions and inscribed my thoughts (on the back) before mailing them to friends and family. All 60 or so of those paintings were later re-gathered as my senior thesis exhibit and published as the book "Journey", of which copies are available for purchase on this web-site.

I began working as a part-time freelance artist my freshmen year of college, and upon graduating I started working full time as a professional artist. I found business both selling my own work and taking commissions from family, friends, and local businesses or churches in the North Shore region above Boston, Ma. I enjoyed staying connected to the community and artistic network I established around Gordon College, and the landscapes/seascapes of Cape Ann gave no end to artistic inspiration. My first professional show took place that winter at the home of a friend and professor at Gordon Conwell Seminary, Dr. Scott Gibson. Much of the artwork on this site under America/ New England came from that show.

During my time at Gordon I sought to connect my desire to create art with my faith in Jesus Christ. My search brought two main questions across my path: first, "What does it mean to be a Christian in today's artworld?" And second, "What is the role of artwork in the life of the Church?" I have been quietly answering that first question with every day of my professional career, though my search for an answer proves inexhaustable with the complexity of art-making, the Christian faith, and business in a society of consumerism. As a start, I have tried to be faithful to the God-given ispiration behind my work, and to motivate my business with integrity and the desire to make my work available for the audience who would most benefit from and enjoy it.

My second question- what is the role of artwork in our churches and in our faith?- motivated me to design a new project to find an answer. Mixed with my love for travel and my desire to see the United States, I spent the summer of 2002 traveling around America to the National Parks looking for the fingerprints of God in His magnificent creation. The project was sponsored in part by churches also interested in exploring the uses of artwork in their congregations, and after completing the trip I hosted shows of my artwork and discussions in these various churches in order to jumpstart thought, dialog and integration of artist's contributions in the church. Most of the work on the website under "America" came from that summer. Along with the finished paintings, I created a sketchbook of my daily journal entries and over 100 small watercolors of my American journey which I hope to edit and publish as a second book entitled "America". This second question too has proven inexhaustable, but well worth every minute of exploration and meditation. My deepest thanks to everyone who helped make that trip and the subsequent shows happen!

I was married to Kirsten Anderson on August 9th, 2003 and moved to Southbury, CT where I am still working as a professional artist. My time this yeas has been a mix of artwork and ministry along side my wife (the Junior High Youth Pastor) to Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel, CT. I have discovered a whole new area of wonderful landscape motiffs in the old farmland of CT, and with my involvement with Wanlut Hill Church I have undertaken many new projects that once again directly link my artwork to my faith. I have been particularly excited to use my artwork to accompany my first sermon, to illustrate a devotional, to fund-raise for missions trips, and generally to engage those with a visual disposition as I teach. My current dream is to take the insight gained from all of these past experiences and pursue a masters study in Visual Theology. Thank you to all of you who have played a part in this developement, and thank you for your interest in my artwork!