This Charlotte artist finds inspiration in junk yards and other unlikely places

Liz Rothaus Bertrand
·4 min read

For artist Keith Bryant, inspiration often comes from unexpected sources: some old fire extinguishers piled in a scrap yard, animal bones spotted on a walk in the woods or even a tiny broom discovered when he moved into his art studio.

“If they trigger something in my mind, I pick them up,” said Bryant, whose colorful sculptures are currently featured in the exhibition, “Reconvene,” at Central Piedmont Community College. “I don’t always know exactly what I’m going to do with them.”

Not knowing is just part of the process for Bryant, who also teaches ceramics and sculpture at UNC Charlotte. He takes his time creating — sometimes years — as abstract ideas “bubble up to the surface” and take form. Although he got his start as an artist working in clay, experimentation with different materials and processes are now essential aspects of his creations.

Bryant enjoys the challenge of continuous exploration.

“I try not to repeat myself,” he said, “because I don’t find that as interesting as doing something new.”

Charlotte artist Keith Bryant has been teaching in the Arts & Art History Department at UNC Charlotte for 21 years. He works in wood, metals, and ceramics and his sculptures address ideas of loneliness, isolation, architecture and landscape.
Charlotte artist Keith Bryant has been teaching in the Arts & Art History Department at UNC Charlotte for 21 years. He works in wood, metals, and ceramics and his sculptures address ideas of loneliness, isolation, architecture and landscape.

‘Sort of serendipitous’

In “Reconvene,” viewers can see a wide variety of sculptures and installations created by Bryant in recent years. Most of the exhibition is on display in CPCC’s Overcash Gallery until Nov. 25. But two large scale outdoor sculptures will remain on view through May 2021 on the central campus uptown.

UNC Charlotte art professor Keith Bryant’s “Procession” (above) was installed last June CPCC’s main campus. It’s located in front of the Overcash building along Kings Drive. The large-scale sculpture is crafted from materials found in a scrap yard, including old fire extinguishers which were used as colorful pole toppers.
UNC Charlotte art professor Keith Bryant’s “Procession” (above) was installed last June CPCC’s main campus. It’s located in front of the Overcash building along Kings Drive. The large-scale sculpture is crafted from materials found in a scrap yard, including old fire extinguishers which were used as colorful pole toppers.

One of those works, “Procession,” in front of CPCC’s Overcash Center, is inspired by the pomp and circumstance of events that Bryant has witnessed, from funerals and graduations to the presidential inauguration.

It incorporates candy-colored fire extinguishers atop long poles of varying heights. They are attached to aluminum bases, which Bryant also discovered in a scrap yard. He thinks they may have once been dental chair pedestals.

“You go to look for things that you think you need and you find something that you didn’t know you needed. And then it turns into something else after a little while,” said Bryant, who began visiting junk yards years ago when he worked briefly as an auto body repair technician. “It’s sort of serendipitous in a lot of ways.”

So is this show, which brings Bryant back to his roots at CPCC.

He taught there for a decade, before joining UNCC’s department of art and art history in 2000. CPCC is also where he met his late wife, artist Kappy McCleneghan, who was a painter, printmaker and educator there.

This Keith Bryant sculpture, “Journey,” is one of two on display at CPCC’s main campus through May 2021. It’s located near the Citizens building on Charlottetown Avenue. Bryant currently has a solo art exhibit in the Overcash Gallery at CPCC.
This Keith Bryant sculpture, “Journey,” is one of two on display at CPCC’s main campus through May 2021. It’s located near the Citizens building on Charlottetown Avenue. Bryant currently has a solo art exhibit in the Overcash Gallery at CPCC.

Working through grief

Many of the works in “Reconvene” were inspired by Bryant’s grieving process after his wife’s death in 2013 and his journey coming through that experience.

For example,“Void,” made of wood and multi-hued ceramic figurines (shaped like deer scapulas), shows a spiraling march toward whatever comes after life.

“You’re supposed to kind of be looking into the abyss and going around and around in circles,” said CPCC Art Gallery Coordinator Amelia Zytka, “or you could read it the other way: you’re coming up out of something. So depending on your mood and who you are, you could either read this as very hopeful or very sad.”

This work by Keith Bryant is called “Void.” The ceramic figurines are marching in a spiral toward whatever comes after life. “You’re supposed to kind of be looking into the abyss and going around and around in circles,” said CPCC gallery coordinator Amelia Zytka, “or you could read it the other way: you’re coming up out of something.”
This work by Keith Bryant is called “Void.” The ceramic figurines are marching in a spiral toward whatever comes after life. “You’re supposed to kind of be looking into the abyss and going around and around in circles,” said CPCC gallery coordinator Amelia Zytka, “or you could read it the other way: you’re coming up out of something.”

For Zytka, who curated the exhibition, Bryant’s use of regular geometric shapes and patterns makes his artwork stand out.

She points to “365,” which features hundreds of ceramic spheres that seem to splash up from the floor to the gallery wall. They were inspired by Bryant’s realization after grieving that each day is different and something worthy of celebration.

“Yield,” featuring concentric red triangles made of painted wood with sparkling, recycled glaze at the center, is another of Zytka’s favorites: a sculpture Bryant created while pondering our current culture of divisiveness.

“I love the cast shadows of this piece,” she said. “It’s absolutely stunning.”

Artist Keith Bryant works in his home studio on a sculpture he later called “Inside Out.” He’s using an air grinder to smooth out a weld.
Artist Keith Bryant works in his home studio on a sculpture he later called “Inside Out.” He’s using an air grinder to smooth out a weld.

Bryant doesn’t try to force a specific interpretation on his audience, knowing they bring their own experiences and filters to whatever they see. But he hopes they can relate to his art on some level, whether it’s a color, a texture or the way in which three dimensional forms affect the space around them.

“Artists are arrogant enough as it is,” he said, “and to assume that we can talk to people and tell people what to think and feel I think is sort of folly.”

‘Reconvene’

What: This exhibit includes indoor and outdoor sculptures created by Charlotte artist Keith Bryant over the years. It can be viewed in-person or online.

Where: Central Piedmont Community College, main campus.

Details: Indoor exhibit runs through Nov. 25 in CPCC’s Overcash Gallery. Two outdoor sculptures, “Procession” and “Journey,” are on view through May 2021. In front of the Overcash Center and Citizens Building, respectively. See more of Bryant’s work at keithbryantsculpture.com

Gallery Hours: Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m or by appointment. Email Amelia.Zytka@cpcc.edu

Cost: Free

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