Mary Bryan Profile

Portrait of Mary Bryan by Marion Williams Steele

Mary Taylor Bryan was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico, in 1906 and died in Chatham, Massachusetts in 1978 at age 72.

Moving to Connecticut with her parents at an early age, she also lived with them in California before settling permanently in the East.  At the various schools she attended, Mary was always the top in her class in art, particularly leaning toward sculpture.  She studied in workshop situations with some outstanding sculptors of the time including Laura Fraser and Carl Illiver, and then at the New School of American Sculpture. 

In 1938, she moved with her husband, painter Alden Bryan, and their young son, to Gloucester, MA, where they returned for many summers.  There she began her career as a painter.  She and Alden operated the Bryan Gallery in Rocky Neck, MA, exhibiting their work for over 30 years.  While there, she studied painting with the legendary American artist Emile Gruppe, and also attended classes with Eliot O'Hara at his school for watercolor in Goose Rocks Beach, Maine. 

The Bryans settled permanently on a farm in Jeffersonville, VT, in 1939, again drawn to an area which had been a mecca for New England landscape painters for decades.

Unfettered by formal, academic training, Mary Bryan expressed herself masterfully in a variety of artistic media. Her hands were never idle. Early to rise, she would often be at her easel before drinking her morning coffee. 

During her career, Mary Bryan won two prizes at the American Watercolor Society, three awards at the National Association of Women Artists, two prizes at the Silvermine Guild, three first prizes at the North Shore Arts Association and two at the Allied Artists of American, including the Gold Medal of Honor for the Best in Show.

In Boston, Mary Bryan was a member of the Guild of Boston Artists and the Copley Society, at both of which she and her husband had two-artist exhibitions.

The Mary Bryan Memorial Gallery was built in her memory in small town Jeffersonville, VT, in 1984 by her husband, to show the finest Vermont and New England painters.

 

Beeswax Wrap & Candle-making

Saturday, March 28 10am - 12:30pm

Led by Bryan Gallery
Registration Required     »register now

Join our friends from ReMarket/Project Vermont, who will travel from St. Albans to lead a very special workshop where creativity meets sustainability! 

Participants will learn how to make reusable beeswax food wraps and hand poured candles, using natural wax! We'll also explore a fun twist by using waxed fabric to create origami boxes, in a size perfect for holding trinkets, jewelry or loose change.
Open to all abilities. All materials will be provided.
Limited to 10 participants - Don't miss your opportunity!

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Landscape with Mixed Media & Scratch Tools led by Masha Hoffey

Saturday, May 9, 2026 - Saturday, May 9, 2026 10am - 3pm

Led by Bryan Gallery
Registration Required     »register now

In this unique, one-day workshop, you will learn the techniques of making a mixed media landscape piece using ink, gouache, metal leafing and scratch marks. Russian-born instructor Masha Hoffey attended Williams College and the School of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she studied drawing and painting. She has also studied traditional Chinese landscape watercolor in Yunnan, China and Tibetan Thangka painting in the Himalayan region of India. Her background is rich in various cultural art forms, and she will be bringing this knowledge into her workshop. 
Masha exhibits work in the Bryan Galleries and is one of the artists featured at the Affordable Art Fair in New York City. This is an exciting opportunity for artists!

**Participants should have knowledge of painting basics and preferably have used gouache previously. This is not an intro-type of workshop.

USE PROMO CODE "BMGMember" TO RECEIVE THE DISCOUNTED MEMBER PRICING.

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Texture Techniques for Winning Watercolors Led by Bradley Hendershot

Friday, June 12, 2026 - Saturday, June 13, 2026 9am - 3pm

Led by Bryan Gallery
Registration Required     »register now

Watercolor and drybrush techniques with an emphasis on texture and mood will be the focus of this 2-day immersive workshop with Pennsylvania artist Bradley Hendershot. This is a unique opportunity to work with Bradley, known for his realist painting style in the Brandywine Tradition.

Participants are encouraged to think outside of the box of traditional watercolor, well beyond the "accepted rules." Think drybrush, spatter and splatter, spritzing, scratching, scraping, scrubbing out, sponging, using opaques and a host of other techniques. The goal is not necessarily to complete a painting, but to develop skills that the artist may take with him/her to apply to their work. 

The workshop includes interaction, individualized instruction, questions, comments, critique and a lot of sharing of knowledge!

**Participants should have knowledge of watercolor basics and have painted using watercolors previously. This is not an intro-type of workshop.

USE PROMO CODE "BMGMember" TO RECEIVE THE DISCOUNTED MEMBER PRICING.

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Bright, Bold Blossoms, led by Annelein Beukenkamp

Saturday, July 18, 2026 10am - 4pm

Led by Bryan Gallery
Registration Required     »register now

This one-day watercolor workshop with instructor Annelein Beukenkamp includes working from a variety of blooms and photographic references (provided) as Annelein guides participants into using the full extent of their color palettes! Brushes will be unleashed to create wet, spontaneous imagery that captures the blossom's essence - and not necessarily an exact reproduction. The workshop will include design elements like size, shape, value, color, line and texture. You will explore negative painting to create foliage and contrasting shapes in your work.  

Annelein has been painting playful, bright blooms and teaching others this skill for many years. If you are a watercolorist looking to add a bit of light and whimsey to your work, this is the workshop for you! Sign up now before it fills up!

**Participants should have knowledge of watercolor basics and preferably have used watercolors previously. This is not an intro-type of workshop.

USE PROMO CODE "BMGMember" TO RECEIVE THE DISCOUNTED MEMBER PRICING.

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Painting en Plein Air led by George Van Hook

Friday, August 14, 2026 - Sat, August 15, 2026 9am - 4pm

Led by Bryan Gallery
Registration Required     »register now

Join George Van Hook, nationally recognized painter, for a two-day, plein air workshop.

George stresses allaprima painting and uses a loose and fast approach to capture the landscape in the first try. Participants will be meeting on location and painting all day from 9am-4pm with a lunch break. The workshop includes live demos and individual attention. Please bring your own plein air equipment, supports, and media (oil, pastel, watercolor, acrylic).

This course will begin with a demo from the artist, along with a discussion of composition, laying out the pallet, proper use of materials and all other aspects of plein air painting.  
Group and individual painting time follows, with individual instruction from George during this time. After lunch, he will do a quick demo to refresh the ideas presented at the start.  Painters will start a second painting for the afternoon with additional individual instruction. Painters may continue to paint after 4pm if they wish. Evenings are free.

Participants are responsible for their own art materials and their own meals and accommodations.

**Participants should have knowledge of oil painting basics and have previous experience with painting. This is not an intro workshop.

Use promo code "BMGMember" if you are a current member of the Gallery to receive a discount!

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Telling a Story in Plein Air Painting led by Charlie Hunter

Sunday, August 30, 2026 10am - 4pm

Led by Bryan Gallery
Registration Required     »register now

A Unique opportunity to paint with Charlie Hunter! Don't miss out!

Why do we paint what we paint, and how do we choose to tell that story?
Join us for an intensive one-day workshop with Vermont artist Charlie Hunter where we dive into the language and technique of plein air painting.
Charlie Hunter is a nationally recognized painter of the post-pastoral American landscape. His distinctive, low-chroma work and superb draftsmanship, heavily reliant on a mastery of values, edges and composition, utilizes a variety of unorthodox techniques and tools that reference both photographic and painterly traditions. This small group workshop, limited to 12 participants, is intended for those serious about expanding their creative vocabulary and technique. Beginning with a discussion of why we paint, and where we are on our respective journeys, Hunter will then do a live demonstration painting, during which discussion and questions are encouraged. Participants will then work on their own, until reconvening for a group critique.
The workshop will run from 10am - 4pm. We expect this workshop to fill quickly! Act quickly!!

**Participants are asked to have experience with oil paints and plein air painting. This is not a beginner's workshop.

USE PROMO CODE "BMGMember" TO RECEIVE THE DISCOUNTED MEMBER PRICING.

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Sketching the Landscape with Pencil/Colored Pencil led by Rick Powell

Sat, September 5, 2026 - Sun, September 6, 2026 10am - 3pm

Led by Bryan Gallery
Registration Required     »register now

In this 2-day workshop with Montpelier artist Rick Powell, artists will literally sharpen their pencils to study and render unique landscape motifs in pencil, graphite and colored pencils!

Participants will go into the field with Rick, make sketches and take photos of scenes of interest. The workshop will then head back into the Gallery to recreate the reference sketches and photos into beautiful pencil drawings.

A graduate of the Art Institute of Philadelphia, Rick Powell spent 25 years as a commercial artist and illustrator. Now, with the freedom to choose his subjects, Rick uses colored pencils to create realistic scenes of New England’s natural beauty composed of thousands of colorful lines. His work can be found in New England galleries and in private collections around the state and beyond.

**Participants should be familiar with using pencil as a medium. This is not an intro type workshop. Be prepared to work both indoors and outdoors. 

USE PROMO CODE "BMGMember" TO RECEIVE THE DISCOUNTED MEMBER PRICING.

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2026 Fall Plein Air Retreat

Sun, October 4, 2026 - Sat, October 10, 2026

Led by Bryan Gallery
Registration Required     »register now

Join artists Leo Mancini-Hresko and T.M. Nicholas for a full week [October 4 - 10, 2026] of painting with instruction, exploring the beauty of Vermont in autumn and creating new and lasting friendships over a shared love of art-making. This intensive plein-air retreat will leave you with new skills and techniques and a deeper command of your painting style.

Did we mention that you'll have the time of your life?? 

**The Painting Retreat is open to artists at all levels, but participants should have basic knowledge of working with oils, and with painting in general. This is not an intro-type of retreat**

Registration cost includes: 
Daily Meals with the group
Individualized instruction with renowned painters T.M. Nicholas & Leo Mancini-Hresko
Daily group critiques
Informative conversations and discussions
Group and solo time to paint and relax
Furthering you own personal inspiration and confidence

Not Included:
Airfare
Ground Transportation
Lodging
Traveler’s Insurance
Equipment and individual materials. 

Lodging:
We have partnered with Smugglers' Notch Resort for lodging during the event. 
To reserve at Smugglers' Notch, please call Smugg's Resort Group Vacations at 1-800-521-0536

Participants are also welcome to lodge at a location of your choosing.

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