Alden Bryan Profile

Alden Bryan (1913 – 2001) Originally from Missouri, Harvard-educated in economics, an avid sailor and tennis player, Alden Bryan married  Mary Taylor, a sculpture student, and a year later they sailed into Gloucester Harbor, providing them with their first glimpse of working landscape artists. 

Subsequently studying with Emile Gruppe in Gloucester, Bryan went to Vermont in 1939 to study painting with Charles Curtis Allen, N.A..  Shortly thereafter, the Bryans settled on a dairy farm in Jeffersonville, where he introduced pasteurized milk to the area. Establishing a bakery, restaurant and inn, designing the base lodge of Smugglers Notch Resort, building the first indoor tennis center in Vermont, throughout a lifetime of varied achievements, Bryan painted.  Every summer the Bryans returned to their studio and art gallery in Rocky Neck, Gloucester where he was the proprietor of the Rudder Restaurant for 25 years.

Bryan painted in more than 25 countries, ranging from Katmandu to Cape Horn, Africa, to the Antarctic, Hong Kong and Indonesia.  He held memberships in many art organizations including the American Watercolor Society, the Salmagundi Club, Allied Artists of America, American Artists Professional League, Grand Central Art Association and the North Shore Arts Association.

It was in Vermont, and in the old city of Quebec, and on the Massachusetts seacoast where Bryan’s command of painting produced his most compelling works.  Over 1,000 paintings cover the changes in the local farmland of Vermont, and in the waterfront docks, recording the transformation from the age of sail to the age of steam. 

When Mary Bryan died in 1978, Alden Bryan set out to build a gallery in her memory, giving mortar and design to a spirit the Bryans had nurtured for over 30 years.  Inviting the best artists he knew to exhibit, the non-profit gallery on Main Street in Jeffersonville became a magnet for painters who lived the artistic legacy of Lamoille County, Vermont. 

The area’s unfettered vistas and local population welcomed the artists, and then left them alone.  Seeking that particular moment of light and characteristic of season, the camaraderie of painters, painting in Vermont has produced master painters in every generation for over one hundred years. 

 

Bryan Memorial Gallery celebrated the 100th birthday of its founder, Alden Bryan with an exhibition of his paintings in 2013, painted in 26 countries over a span of 60 years (early 1940’s until his death in 2001.)

Alden Bryan’s love of the landscape was vivid and instantaneous.  Working en plein air (in natural light,) he traveled with canvas boards, paints and brushes, and his approach to discovering a new land was to paint it with immediacy and enthusiasm.

His travels took him throughout Europe, North America, the Far East, and Down Under, but even at home in Vermont, he never stopped traveling and painting.

Scenes of the local Main Streets and town squares that are now historic records of an era that remains alive on canvas.

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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