Layers upon layers: Latest exhibit by Holland combines paintings with 3-D, multi-media works

If you visit the Arts Center of Saint Peter to check out the latest exhibit featuring local artist Bryan Holland, be prepared to gaze in wonder at the curious layerings in his outstanding paintings.

But when you visit the exhibit, “Layered Realities,” don’t forget to look down, too.

Perched on pedestals are a series of Holland’s cleverly crafted boxes where he has pulled inspiration from nursery rhymes and ancient folklore. And they’re just as intriguing — and masterful — as what’s on the walls.

After scavenging second-hand stores to find just the right picture frames and jewelry boxes, Holland used his considerable woodworking skills to create a series of decorative boxes that feature moveable, interchangeable and, yes, layered works of art.

One box, which plays off the nursery rhyme “One for Sorrow” (in which the number of magpies one sees determines one’s luck), is built with two-sided panels that reference lines in the rhyme: “One for sorrow, two for joy, three for girls, four for boys, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told.” (Fans of the band Counting Crows will recall this rhyme from the song “A Murder of One.”)

The three-dimensional work of the boxes is sort of a throwback to some work the St. Peter artist did in college.

“I actually did some dabbling with similar kinds of stuff in grad school,” he said. “And I just was kind of thinking it might be time to try some again and have some fun.”

Holland received a Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council grant to create the so-called “mixed-media art pieces.”

“I began with the idea that I was going to start going to thrift stores and looking for materials. And then COVID hit, and then everything kind of went a little bit crazy,” he said. “I actually started kind of building some stuff on my own, changing my ideas a little bit as that happened. After things kind of started to get back a little bit more normal, I did start finding stuff and buying stuff. … I wanted to make something that was not just like a box sculpture; I wanted there to be an interactive component.”

Of the paintings, one of the most striking is a piece he modeled after Leonardo DaVinci’s “Lady with an Ermine,” a painting from the High Renaissance period. Holland’s version takes the concept and, using layers, injects commentary, incongruity and levity.

The woman’s fingers are tattooed with the letters T-R-U-E while holding a pink ermine; DaVinci’s ermine was white. In a nod to his training as a graphic artist, Holland planted stenciling behind the woman, along with layers of color, stars and flowers. He’s also dressed up half of the woman’s outfit with bold primary colors, a far cry from the earth-toned hues of the original.

He likes the idea of juxtaposing ideas and images.

“I do like to incorporate a lot of text and words. I think that’s part of my background,” he said. “Some of the fragmentary aspects came about because I was inspired by looking at whether billboards where you’ve got layers of paper. Every once in a while, some pieces start to fall off, and you get almost this kind of incongruent message. You’ll see an ad for McDonald’s superimposed over an ad for diapers or something. It creates something kind of visually interesting.”

The rest of Holland’s paintings feature animals. From majestic bison and elephants to delicate birds, Holland’s work demonstrates not only technical mastery of animal anatomy but also a tenderness that illustrates his love for nature.

“I do like bison. There’s some animals that I would say I do feel kind of an affinity or a connection to, and bison are one. It’s one that I’ve always been fascinated with. Another is the rhino. I don’t know what it is with these massive herbivores.”