Brooklyn-based artist Bryce Wymer has garnered attention for his distinctive artistic style that seamlessly merges social realism with surreal elements throughout his evocative sketchbooks. Known for creating enigmatic and emotionally charged murals, paintings, and illustrations, Wymer's work is characterized by mysterious light sources, geometric puzzles, disjointed figures, and bold color palettes that form diverse narrative compositions.
Wymer's artistic approach focuses on exploring themes of social interactions and power dynamics, often viewed through a lens colored by anxiety, mystery, and solitude. His pieces successfully bridge the gap between analog and digital mediums, creating a unique contemporary aesthetic that resonates with viewers on multiple levels. Whether he's working on large-scale commissions or more intimate drawings, sketchbooks remain the primary foundation for his creative process.
The artist has maintained a deep connection with sketchbook art since his middle school years, when he first began documenting his ideas on paper. "I've been keeping sketchbooks since middle school, when I filled them with graffiti tags, local DIY show flyer ideas, and zine layouts," Wymer explained. "Over the years, they've evolved from casual notebooks into an essential part of my creative process. I carry one with me at all times, and without it, I feel pretty untethered."
Wymer demonstrates remarkable productivity, typically completing three to four sketchbooks annually. While he sometimes experiments with translating his sketched compositions onto grander canvases, he often chooses to preserve the intimate format of the original sketches. "Some lose their raw energy when translated to a larger scale, which is a tension I enjoy trying to navigate," he noted. "That in-between space, where an idea first lands and where it eventually ends up, is part of what keeps the process so compelling."
Currently, Wymer has been concentrating on figurative motifs that examine what he describes as "quiet tension and emotional complexity." His approach involves positioning human figures within minimal environments, effectively highlighting social dynamics while revealing undercurrents of vulnerability and varying perceptions of control or the absence thereof. The artist employs flat planes of saturated color that pay homage to Social Realism, an artistic movement that emerged between the World Wars and focused on portraying everyday people as heroes facing adversity, particularly from governmental sources.
For Wymer, Social Realism represents more than just an artistic style; it serves as a connection to emotional and collective human experience. He channels these concepts through his varied and continuously evolving contemporary aesthetic, creating works that speak to modern audiences while honoring historical artistic traditions. "More than anything, the sketchbook is my playground, free from expectations or fear of failure," Wymer emphasized. "In any artistic practice, it's important to have a space where very few rules exist."
Those interested in exploring more of Wymer's work can view additional pieces on his official website and Instagram account. The artist also shares creative timelapses of his artistic process through his Vimeo channel, offering viewers insight into his methodical approach to developing compositions from initial sketch to finished piece.
