Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County Campus Fine Arts Gallery is proud to announce the opening of the exhibit “Where You Find It: The Art of Trey Bryan.” The show will open at 12:15 p.m. on September 2 and will run through October 15. There will be an Artist Talk/Q&A in the gallery for the opening.

Trey Bryan is an artist and illustrator living in West Virginia where he paints and draws for galleries and exhibitions.

Bryan received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2009.  Shortly after graduating, he moved to Kansas City where he began an apprenticeship with Mark English, an American illustrator and painter. His drawings and paintings during his time in Kansas City included collaborations with The Kansas City Symphony, The Kansas City Chiefs, and The Lyric Opera. He has published several books of his drawings, including a collection of his work from his tenure as Artist-in-Residence at the historic Hotel Phillips in Kansas City, Missouri. He is also a member of the Society of Illustrators in New York City.

Shortly after making his mark in the Midwest, Bryan moved to New Orleans, to draw the Crescent City architecture and listen to the world’s greatest jazz bands. After bartering drawings in the streets and bars, and selling them at the famed art markets, he met the gallery owner and director of the Elliott Gallery, Catherine Betz. Shortly after, he became the first contemporary artist in the last two decades to join the gallery’s ranks with noticeable artist such as Matisse, Chagall, Dali and Picasso.

In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious Denis Diderot Grant to attend the Artist-in-Residence program at Château d’Orquevaux in France. Joining internationally acclaimed artists, Bryan painted all over the French countryside and was inspired by the breathtaking countryside of the Champagne region.

Still exhibiting in New Orleans, Bryan has now settled his home base in Lewisburg, West Virginia. He has a studio and gallery open to the public, located in the historic downtown on Court Street. He has also accepted an “Artist in Residence” position at Beaverdam Falls, Virginia’s premier nature preserve nestled in the Allegheny Highlands.

Bryan spends much of his time traveling in the direction of his latest painting, creating large scale murals, and filling one sketchbook after another with his writing and drawing. You can find him most days in the mountains painting, or at his studio.

There is no cost for the exhibit and the Jackson County Campus Fine Arts Gallery is open to the public.  Hours for the gallery are Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.  Masks are required at MGCCC campuses.