Bryan Warner
Rendezvous at the Wall of Flowers, 2026
Watercolor and gouache on paper, 44" x 44"
Bryan Warner is an artist and educator who lives and works in Southern New Jersey. His work is influenced by Japanese culture, toy collecting, nostalgia, fatherhood, and growing up in a multi-racial family. He has shown nationally in NYC, Chicago, Texas, California, Florida, and Philadelphia.
I grew up in a multiracial family during the eighties and nineties in Southern New Jersey. While painting I remember the wonder of childhood intertwined with navigating a life between cultures. I try to process these memories through collecting toys and pop cultural ephemera for my paintings.
My current painting focuses on collecting toys and imagery from various aspects of Japanese culture like manga/anime, action figures, and toksatsu. I then process those influences through the tradition of Wester still life painting. I try to approach painting like a koan. Meditating on questions for their own sake. How can one represent nostalgia in painting? What does authentic culture look like?
