Meet the Artist: Brian Mouhlas, Brian Mouhlas Art
By Kelli Comer
Inspiration can come from many places, including the media we take in on a daily basis—whether it’s from Facebook or Twitter, a 24-hour news channel, or an online news article. The current events and news the media provide shapes who we are and gives us an understanding of what’s going on in the world around us.
Local painter Brian Mouhlas is informed and inspired by this mediated world, and this influence of media imagery shows in his unique, gorgeous paintings.
“I respond to not only photographic imagery, but also to the story behind it,” Brian explains.
“I am informed by all kinds of imagery, from photographs that were personally shot and imagery from past decades, to news articles and stills from archival footage. I see myself very much as a filter of this imagery—a processor who is both informed and yet internalizes these events.”
Brian painted for about three years before he ever took a class. His education in his art began in community college and extended to the Cleveland Institute of Art, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2016. In addition to Brian’s career in art, he keeps painting close at hand by working for a house painting company, painting the interiors and exteriors of homes in Cleveland.
“I gained a lot of insight and met a multitude of local artists and gallery owners during my time at the Cleveland Institute of Art,” Brian says. “I applied for many opportunities and calls for artists, and I was eventually chosen to be one of the artists represented by Hedge Gallery.”
Brian’s work is primarily figurative. His paintings are built up on canvas with thick layers of impasto-like oil paint. The layering, abstracting and concealing applications of the paint and its inherent qualities create a merging of accident and control, and of depiction and a breakdown of that depiction.
“Painting presents a new way of perceiving, understanding and comprehending visual information,” says Brian.
To reach Brian, you can email him at paintings@brianmouhlasart.com. His paintings are on display at Hedge Gallery, located in the 78th Street Studios at 1300 D West 78th Street in Cleveland’s Gordon Square Arts District. Brian’s work is available for purchase through exhibitions at Hedge Gallery, or by contacting gallery owner Hilary Gent at 216-650-4201. Visit BrianMouhlasArt.com for Brian’s portfolio and more information on his work.