Artist Biography

Descending from artists on both sides of his family, Bruce Birkland was born in Santa Barbara, California in 1958. He has painted since the age of fourteen and has drawn pictures since he could hold a crayon.

Bruce attended Santa Barbara City College and graduated from U.C.S.B.'s College of Creative Studies with a B.A. in Art in 1984. Bruce has been a member of several art associations and cooperatives and has had numerous individual and group shows.

In his paintings of fantastic, surreal landscapes one views southwestern deserts and red rock formations, forests of autumn-hued trees, tropical rainforests and coral reefs. He uniquely combines these environments with whimsical forms such as iridescent butterflies, mythical creatures, as well as hot air ballons and fanciful dirigibles.

In his early days as a painter, the brightly hued work of Claude Monet influenced Bruce's use of color. However, it was Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali and Maxfield Parrish who most inspired the visionary aspect of Birkland's work.

Bruce has also drawn an abundance of inspiration from his travels to Australia, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the deserts and mountains of The American West. He has also journeyed on a internal path involving an interest in spiritual traditions and theoretical physics.

Of his art, Bruce says,"If I must choose between fitting in and standing out--I will always choose the latter." and "I would like my creativity to affirm the beautiful, the healthy, and the positive".

Through his painting, Bruce Birkland has brought forth a confluence of nature's external beauty and the inner life of the imagination.

Artist Highlights

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