Brian Mahieu
poetry of place
His visions have a poignant and sometimes somber “poetry of place” that appeals to the tendency to associate the rhythms of the natural environment with the rhythms of human life.Joan Stack, Ph.D
Curator of Art Collections The State Historical Society of Missouri
I am a plein air oil painter and colorist. Since living in Paris and visiting Giverny in 1987, I have signed my paintings with the date and time of completion in the field. No reworking in the studio. The mood of the landscape has always been of prime importance to me, and twilight paintings have been a focus. I am not concerned with, merely, creating pictures of a scene, rather I am creating aesthetic records of a moment in time and place. I use color and expressive brushwork to recreate the sensations I exerience while immersed in nature.
Photograph by Tom Harris
Living in the Pacific Northwest I have ample opportnity to experience moody, atmospheric lanscapes that particularly fit my painterly aesthetic. As an avid outdoorsman I have taken up backpacking and have begun a series of large works depicting the magnificent views I have experienced on my hikes—locations that are inaccessible to me with my heavy and unwieldy painting kit. These pieces require a new skill and a new luxury, working in the comfort of a studio, as well as outdoors. I am excited to share my new work with you.
—Brian Mahieu June, 2022
Brian Mahieu has owned or operated five art galleries in his career and has exhibited nationally in New York, Carmel, St Louis, Santa Cruz, Whidbey Island and more. His paintings are in public and private collections throughout the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia, including the contemporary artist collection of the State Historical Society of Missouri, and the Museum of Art and Archaeology, University of Missouri.
Featured Painting
Torch Lilies and Bougainvillea—Nightfall
I began creating twilight paintings while still in art school forty years ago. For three decades that was my focus. In the early 90s I created a body of work for a solo exhibit called Twilight Opalescence. These were paintings of paper lanterns, lit with candles, strung through my garden and painted until it was too...
Newest Works
Olympic Coast Series
A currently expanding collection
Brian Mahieu’s landscapes are stunning and haunting, and they capture the ethereal effects of atmosphere and changing light at twilight. . . . his work speaks to the human condition and universal experiences that viewers from diverse backgrounds can comprehend.Alisa M. Carlson, Ph.D.
Curator of European and American Art, Museum of Art and Archaeology, University of Missouri
Avaliable Paintings
Sea Caves—Cape Flattery
Oil on canvas
30x24 inches
Torch Lilies and Bougainvillea—Nightfall
oil on canvas, plein air and studio
40”h X 30”w X 1.5”d
Moonlit Snow—Quinault Meadow
Oil on canvas
36 X 24 X1.5 inches
Last Snowfall—Quinault
Oil on canvas
30 X 40 X 1.5 inches
Effervescent Sunlight—Ebey’s Landing
Oil on canvas
24" x 18"
Abalone Skies—Daybreak At Shi Shi Beach
oil on canvas
30 X 48 inches