Refined by time. Rooted in history.
About the Artist
Sandi Seltzer Bryant is a Houston-based artist renowned for her abstract expressionist works that draw inspiration from her extensive travels and personal experiences. Her art incorporates mixed media on canvas, paper, and board, reflecting influences from the Dutch Masters, Bram van Velde, and the New York School.
Bryant's creative process involves layering histories and experiences, allowing each piece to evolve organically. She believes a successful abstract work should engage viewers from all directions, encouraging them to become active participants. To this end, she refrains from titling her art, inviting viewers to interpret each piece through their own perspectives.
Her recent exhibitions include "Journeys Remembered" at The Jung Center in 2021, "Lagoon Hues" at Hooks-Epstein Galleries in 2020, and "Papers Well Traveled" in 2018. Additionally, Bryant's contributions to the art community have been recognized by the University of Houston Libraries Special Collections, which archived her media in 2020.
Bryant maintains a studio at Winter Street Studios in Houston, where she is the founding artist along side developer Jon Deal of Deal Co. Winter Street Studios is where Sawyer Yards (the largest public creative space in the nation) originated in 2005.
BORN
1952 | Pittsburgh, PA
EDUCATION
1974 | Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, BFA, Painting
1970-71 | Stephens College, Columbia, Mo
Museum Collections
2013 | Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, Texas
Museum of Fine Arts Houston
Bibliography
"Collision: The Contemporary Art Scene in Houston, 1972-1985," Peter Gershon, 2018, University Press
"Sandi Seltzer Bryant, 'New Works' at McMurtrey Gallery," Donna Tennant, Art Ltd. Magazine, March 2014
"If you cut it, they will come," Donna Tennant, Visual Art Source Online Magazine, October 10, 2013
Front Row. Prod. Asst. Meghan Hendley. KUHF, Houston, Texas. Taped December 16, 2009
"Creating Working Communities: Houston's Artist Studio Spaces," Arts Houston, p. 16, December, 2007, Tria Wood
"The Art Loop," Houston Modern Luxury, p. 52, January, 2007, Wesley Gunter
"Winter Street Studios," 002 Magazine, August, 2005, Natasha Jacob
"Seltzer Bryant lets viewers draw their own conclusions," Houston Chronicle, January 13, 2005, Arlene Nisson Lassin
"Sandi Seltzer Bryant 2005: New Paintings," Review, Houston Press, January 20, 2005
"Joe Naujokas and Sandi Seltzer Bryant," Art News, May, 2002, Deidre Stein Greben
"Naujokas and Bryant: Two True Believers," Gallery & Studio, Vol. 4 No. 3, February/March 2002
"Udder Love," Arts Houston, Vol. 2, September 2001, Cindy Williams
"An exhibition of abstract works inspired by train travels," The Jewish Herald-Voice, p. 43, December 1, 1999
"Houston Weizman Committee hosts Dov Keren-Ya'ar," The Jewish Herald-Voice, p. 13, February 15, 1995. Houston Chronicle, Reproduction, Saturday, December 31, 1994. Houston Life, Reproduction, p. 14, December 18 - January 14, 1994
"Annual auction of chairs benefits charity for AIDS," The Houston Post, February 27, 1993, Deborah Mann Lake
"East Freeway Studios: The Next Soho," The Jewish Herald-Voice, October 4, 1990, Ellen Rosenbush Methner
"3 Artists Show 3 Variations on Landscapes," Houston Post, February 1, 1990, Susan Chadwick
"The Marks Come from the Marks," The Jewish Herald-Voice, January 18, 1990, Ellen Rosenbush Methner
"Ignore Theme to Enjoy Exhibit," Houston Chronicle, December 5, 1989, Patricia Johnson
"A Show by Young Artists," Time Tribune, June 11, 1989, Dave Howland
"Hey Lady, Is It Art Yet?" Palo Alto Weekly, June 7, 1989, Tim Goodman
"Youngters Open Up to Abstract Painting," San Jose Mercury News, June 5, 1989, Kathleen Donnely
"No Bluebonnets, No Yellow Roses: Essays on Texas Women in the Arts," Sylvia Moore (ed.), Midmarch Arts Press, New York, 1988
"Women Artists Converge on Houston," Houston Woman Magazine, February, 1988, Kathy Balshaw-Biddle
"Two Major Events Show Off Innercity," Inner-View, Vol. 9, No. 2, February 2, 1988
"Choices and Decisions," In Art, September, 1987, Nancy Webb. Inquirer, A Folio of Art and Ideas, Summer, 1986
"JCC Exhibit Competent, If Not Especially Fresh," Houston Chronicle, Fall, 1983, Patricia Johnson
"Eve's Eye II at the Joan Ling Gallery," Southeast Entertainer, May 23, 1981
Selected Public Collections
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
Museum of Southeast Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas
Alston and Bird, Atlanta, Georgia
Divco West, Los Angeles, California
Rusche Distribution, Houston, Texas
Paragon Point, Richmond, California
Duke Energy, Houston, Texas
Thayer Lodging Group Inc., Westin Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri
Washington National Airport, Hilton, Washington, D.C.
First Quadrant, Pasadena, California
Capstar Hotel Corporation, Washington, D.C.
Embassy Suites, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Delta Club, LaGuardia International Airport, New York, New York
Oak Valley Resort, Seoul, Korea
Tremont Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts
Sheraton Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana
Saks Fifth Avenue, La Jolla, California
First Atlantic Capital, New York, New York
PayChem Corporation, Menlo Park, California
Paragon Gateway, Alameda, California
Transco Energy Incorporated, Houston, Texas
IBM, Corpus Christi, Texas
Realsec, Houston, Texas
Tenneco, Houston, Texas
A.D.P., Houston, Texas
One Person Exhibitions
2025 | In Bloom, Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, TX
2022 | Pop-Up Benefit, Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, TX
2021 | "Journeys Remembered" - C.G. Jung Center, Houston, Texas
2020 | "Lagoon Hues" - Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, Texas
2018 | "Internal Journeys; Papers Well Traveled" - Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, Texas
2015 | "New Work" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
2014 | "New Work" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
2012 | "New Work" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
2009 | "New Work" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
2007 | "New Work" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
2005 | "New Work" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas | Cidnee Patrick Gallery, Dallas, Texas | C.G. Jung Center, Houston, Texas
2003 | Cindee Patrick Gallery - Dallas, Texas | C.G. Jung Center, Houston TX
2002 | "Monotypes" - Joan Grona Gallery, San Antonio, Texas | "Reflections of Landscapes of My Travels" - Katharina Rich Perlow Gallery, New York, New York | "New Work" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
2001 | Wyndy Morehead Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana | "New Paintings" - Bradford Campbell Gallery, San Francisco, California
1999 | McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
1998 | Galerie Kathareze, Tillburg, The Netherlands
1997 | "Monotypes" - Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, Texas | "New Work" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
1995 | "New Paintings" - Lucy Berman Gallery, Palo Alto, California | McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
1993 | "Recent Paintings" - Lucy Berman Gallery, Palo Alto, California
1992 | "New Paintings" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas | The Council for Visual and Performing Arts, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas | "New Work" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas | "Recent Paintings" - Lucy Berman Gallery, Palo Alto, California
1990 | "Paintings" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
1989 | "A Year in Palo Alto" - Lucy Berman Gallery, Palo Alto, California
1987 | "Paintings" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
1984 | "Paintings" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 | Texas Creatives | Summer Showcase, Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, TX
2024 | Kaleidoscope, Celebrating Women in Art, Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, TX
2021 | "THE BOX" - Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, Texas
2018 | "WoW - Women of Winter Street Exhibition" - Winter Street Gallery, Houston, Texas
2016 | "Twenty-Five: A Celebration" - Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, Texas
2015 | Julie Brook Alexander and Sandi Seltzer Bryant - Margolis Gallery, Houston, Texas
2014 | "Arlington Arts Center 40th Resident Alumni Exhibition" - Arlington, Virgina
2013 | "40 by 40 Gala" - Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas | "If You Cut It They Will Come" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
2012 | "Three of a Kind" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
2010 | ART BIKE 2010 - Discovery Green, Houston, Texas | "2nd Annual Parallel Universes - The Art of Quantum Physics" - Winter Street Gallery & Open Studios, Houston, Texas | Dallas Art Fair, Dallas, Texas
2009 | "Back in Red" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas | "Parallel Universes - The Art of Quantum Physics" - Winter Street Gallery & Open, Houston, Texas
2007 | Hunting Art Prize - Houston, Texas
2006 | "Red Revisited" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas |
2005 | "A Touch of Red" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
2004 | "100% Centennial CFA Alumni Exhibition" - Regina Gouger Miller Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | "A Little More Red" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
2003 | "Something Red" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
2001-02 | "Miniatures" - Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, Texas | "Something Blue" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas | Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Members Gallery, Buffalo, New York |
2000 | McCord Development Exhibition - Travis Tower, Houston, Texas | "THE BOX" - Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, Texas
1999 | "For the Birds" - Artfull Garden, Houston, Texas | "Miniatures" - Annual Invitational Exhibition, Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, Texas | "The Asian Aesthetic: Interpretations" - Bradford Gallery, San Francisco, California | "Botanicals" - Bradford Gallery, San Francisco, California
1997 | McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas
1996 | "It Moves" - Artfull Garden, Houston, Texas
1995 | "Membership Show" - Women and Their Work, Austin, Texas - Curated by Annette Carlozzi | "Presence/Absence/Presence" - Barbara Davis Gallery, Pennzoil Building, Houston, Texas - Curated by Lynn Randolph | "Deck the Halls" - Purse Building Studios, Houston, Texas
1994 | "Bodies in Evidence" - The Mannequin Show, New Gallery, Houston, Texas
1993 | "POWER IN TRANSITION" - Works by the Houston Women's Caucus for Art, San Felipe Office Plaza, Inc. | "Black & White" - Lucy Berman Gallery, Palo Alto, California | McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas | Rocking Chair Auction, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Houston, Texas | Invitational Exhibition
1991 | "Take a Seat" - DIFFA, Decorative Center, Houston, Texas | "Art in 3 Dimensions: An Artisans Exhibition" - The Jewish Community Center, Houston, Texas | "Art in Motion" - Deuster Gallery, Houston, Texas
1990-91 | "Ex-Officio Exhibition" - Firehouse Gallery, Women's Caucus for Art, Houston, Texas
1990 | "The Cross Show" - Lynn Goode Gallery, Houston, Texas | "Critic's Choice" - Dallas Art Dealers' Association, D'Art, Dallas, Texas | "Tenth Anniversary" - Exhibition, Alpha Gallery, Denver, Colorado
1989 | "Small Works" - Lucy Berman Gallery, Palo Alto, California" | Fifth Annual Invitational Plate Show" - Judy Youens Gallery, Houston, Texas
1988 | "64 Beds Project" - Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Texas | "Art 1990" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas | "Messages from the South" - Sewall Gallery, Rice University, Houston, Texas - Curated by Stella Dobbins and Elizabeth McBride | "Jeunne Peinture" - Grand Palais, Paris, France
1987 | "Third Annual Invitational Plate Show" - Judy Youens Gallery, Houston, Texas | "American Art Today" - Mall Galleries, London, England | Randolph Moore Gallery, Taos, New Mexico | McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas | "Women: Traumas and Memories" - American Institute for Creative Living, Staten Island, New York
1986 | "Three to Five" - Diverse Works, Houston, Texas | "Tenth Anniversary Exhibition" - Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, Virginia
1985 | "Second Annual Invitational Plate Show" - Perception Gallery, Houston, Texas | "Abstract Sensibilities Now, A Selection from the Houston Area" - Lawndale Art and Performance Center, Houston, Texas - Curated by Sally Sprout
1983 | "Painters" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas | "Paper" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas | "Propaganda!" - Midtown Art Center, Houston, Texas | "Three Person Exhibition" - McMurtrey Gallery, Houston, Texas | "Houston Artists in Los Angeles" - Los Angeles Gallery of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California | "WCA at Lawndale" - Lawndale Art and Performance Center, Houston, Texas | "Houston Untitled" - Lawndale Art and Performance Center, Houston, Texas
William A. Camfield
Professor Emeritus |
Department of Art History
Rice University, Houston, TX
Internal Journeys; Papers Well Traveled - 2018 | “The creation becomes a process between her and the collage – a creative process where the composition needs to “work” in all directions. There is no specified top or bottom, and no left or right. The spectator is urged to change the “hanging,” to turn the composition up and down, left and right. The work is not titled. She does not want to trap the viewer into her thoughts. She invites us to explore, to assess, to grow. This experience will be alluring to some spectators, challenging to others.”
Geri Hooks
President | Hooks-Epstein Gallery
“Sandi’s work has largely been abstract, but always, with touches of the familiar in which any viewer can make a connection, one that will draw them in for further exploration. And, that very notation – the exploration of … a journey into… a color, a shape, a pattern (whether natural or human-made) – has been tantamount to not only her artistic life, but her personal life.” Sandi has extensively traveled, particularly throughout Asia and Central Europe, where she collected exquisite papers, pieces of fabric and fibers to be used in the “collage paintings”.
Roni McMurtrey
Director | McMurtrey Gallery
“Houston-based artist Sandi Seltzer Bryant’s abstract paintings have always been a reflection of her life. In the 70’s and 80’s, her vocabulary of marks represented her family, while in the 90’s the marks were reflective of her travels in Europe and of living in the Netherlands. In 2006, her paintings were a direct reference to textiles and the color, texture and patterns found in the various countries she visited, including Mexico, Vietnam, Cambodia,Thailand, Peru, Ecuador, Morocco, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Russia. In 2010, Sandi traveled in China and was influenced by its culture and she introduced collage.
An artist is often asked how long it takes to make a painting and the answer to that question is often surprising to many but true. Sandi Seltzer Bryant has spent 40 plus years of mark making to create these confident and seductive paintings.”
“Sandi Seltzer Bryant has gleaned through hundreds of handmade papers from over twenty countries to create her newest series of works. From Asia to the Netherlands, each piece reflects the artist's journey. Layering bands of texture, color, and form, Bryant leads us into an abstract process of discovery.
A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, Bryant's work has been shown and collected in numerous places including New York, Seoul, Los Angeles, and all across Texas. Along with numerous public collections, Sandi Seltzer Bryant has recently been included in the permanent collection of the Art Museum of South Texas.”
Debra Barrera
Assistant Director | McMurtrey Gallery