Painter Hal Bryant Brings New Perspective to Old Abandoned Buildings

Gardner-Webb ’72 Alumnus Taught Art in Cleveland County for Over Three Decades

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Hal Bryant has a talent for seeing the beauty in weather-worn farmhouses and barns; the magic in quaint landscapes and storefronts; and the mystery in dilapidated buildings or abandoned vehicles. A native of Greenville, S.C., and 1972 alumnus of Gardner-Webb, Bryant meticulously transfers the images from film into paintings on canvas.

An exhibit on display through Oct. 24 at the Cleveland County Arts Council, 111 S. Washington St., Shelby, N.C., features Bryant’s first works up to his most recent. “A Retrospective Journey Through the Art of Hal Bryant” encompasses Bryant’s diverse range, from his favorite watercolors to the graphite drawing of his daughter. Half of the 60 pieces in the exhibit were borrowed from collectors who had purchased his painting over the years. The others are from his family collection.

Bryant didn’t take art until he was a senior in high school. He applied to different colleges, but chose to attend Gardner-Webb because it was closer to his home. By the time he graduated from Gardner-Webb, he had attracted the attention of a dozen local art aficionados. They offered to support Bryant as the University’s first artist-in-residence. They commissioned him to do a series of paintings on the “Vanishing South,” which was an appropriate title for many of his subjects.

When he completed the work, Bryant didn’t go back to South Carolina. “I’ve just been blessed to be here in Cleveland County,” he stated.

The artist reflected on his life and paintings recently as he conducted a gallery talk for elementary art teachers from Cleveland County, N.C. Gesturing toward the display, he stated, “Sometimes people look at my work and say, ‘You know I like some of your paintings a lot, some of them are really pretty, but some of them are just plain decrepit looking, why do you paint all this old looking stuff?’”

His answer, “It kind of goes back to my love of watching the effects that the passage of time has on all things. I’ve done sort of a self-analysis to try to figure out what motivated me in that way. When I was young, I used to love to go to my grandfather’s. He lived near Pineville (N.C.). I was raised in Greenville, S.C., so it was about two hours to go up to Pineville from Greenville, which seemed like an eternity for a small kid.”

Bryant continued, “Going down the road, that last little leg of the trip, I’d always look for that window in the barn, and I thought, ‘OK, we’re getting close now.’ While my father and grandfather were talking, I’d be out roaming and exploring around the farm.” 

Among the paintings is a reprint of a story from the Jan. 13, 1973, edition of The Shelby Star. The article is about Bryant’s artist residency at Gardner-Webb. The photo includes Bryant with a few of the sponsors, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey B. Hamrick and Mrs. Paul M. Sarazen Jr., along with Gardner-Webb art professor James Rash. In the story, Rash commented, “Hal has an outstanding ability … You cannot teach a person creativity, but you can help develop a potential and a style.”

At the end of the residency, Gardner-Webb extended his time. When Rash became ill, they asked Bryant to substitute in his classes. “I don’t even know if I knew what I was doing, but I must have done all right, because every now and then Sue Rash (his wife) would refer to how great it was that I was able to come in and take over his classes while he was sick,” Bryant recalled.

When that assignment ended, Bryant was offered a teaching job at Cleveland Community College by the president, Dr. James Petty. “He was a neighbor of mine and he saw me out in the yard and drove up on his tractor and said, ‘I hear you are not at Gardner-Webb anymore,’” Bryant related. “He said, ‘I want you to come to Cleveland Tech, as it was called back in those days, and do some interesting art.’ So, I started there Sept. 1, 1975.”

In the early 1990s, Bryant earned his Master of Arts in Studio Art from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. He was on the faculty of Cleveland Community College until 2007, teaching drawing, painting, digital photography, and art appreciation in the college transfer division. After retirement, he taught digital photography for eight years as an adjunct professor.

During his more than three decades at the college, Bryant promoted local and regional artists by featuring their works in the gallery there. He encouraged his students, and they inspired him. They are successful artists and teachers, and they keep in touch.

“I’ve really been blessed the way things have worked out,” Bryant observed. “Because I was associated with the Community College, I was able to work creatively by being around the students.”  

The Arts Council is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 704-484-2787. 

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.