Bryan Hoffman is a self taught artist living in Michigan. While he started drawing at an early age the period that compelled him to paint was
1980 - 2000 while living in New York City. The HIV/Aids epidemic/plague years and his employer and mentor the designer Bill Blass are what shaped, inspired and informed his art and his life during that period. The other seminal time was volunteering at The Ruth Ellis Center for at risk and homeless LGBTQ youth located in Detroit. It was there that he found a theme he continues cultivate...LGBTQ communities, the marginalized, underrepresented and working people. Bryan works in acrylics on wood panel augmented by graphite, colored pencil and gold leaf. He paints his subjects gazing unsentimentally at the viewer without identifying context forcing the viewer to focus on the subject without social cues.
In 2021 Bryan's painting 'Kellie Looks Left' received the top honor - best of show - at the 92nd Annual Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition held at The Muskegon Museum of Art. He has shown in numerous group shows in New York City, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts and Michigan. Bryan was part of the 2017 two man show - FACE VALUE - at the Gateway Arts Center's 39th Street Gallery in Brentwood Maryland and in 2020 included in Balaclava.q's - an international consortium of LGBTQ artists - 5th anniversary book UN//TITLED An Anthology of Queer Contemporary Art 2016 - 2020.
In June of 2022 5 of Bryan's paintings will be included in a show curated by Patrice Michel of Mighty Real/Queer Detroit in conjunction with the Detroit Institute of Art and The Scarab Club.