Bryan Deese may not be a household name yet, but no doubt you have seen his gorgeous artwork from the new mural in Gallatin or the Draper James store in 12 South. Deese grew up in Nashville and was first impacted by the Red Grooms Retrospective exhibit Tennessee State Museum. During his school field trip to the exhibit, Deese was intrigued by the large scale, colorful pop-art constructions. The larger than life sculptures and murals intrigued Deese and created a spark of curiosity and excitement.
In High School Deese got into graffiti through some kids in a summer school class at Hillsboro High School when he was 16. Graffiti art had all the elements that made a mark on Deese from the Red Grooms Retrospective -- it was big, colorful, based around typography, and came with some adventure. The experience with graffiti art helped him learn to paint big and fast and somewhere along the way it turned into murals.
Deese attended UTK and studied graphic design. He worked as a graphic designer for years before his murals began to take on a life of their own. Deese began creating murals around Nashville, transitioning to a full time artist.
"Today what I enjoy the most is painting large scale portraits, still using the same techniques and spray paint I used in my youth. I like to showcase the history specific to the location I'm painting. Telling a local history through art elevates that history and tells the community you are important," says Deese. That passion to meet and tell the story of the community is his favorite aspect of his work.
Listen for the story of the people in his larger than life designs this summer by checking out his murals around Nashville.