Rusty Branscom

I’m a contemporary artist working out of my studio in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

I try to defy classification with my work – a new way of seeing something. I believe art should be striking. To say it like it’s never been said before. I like painting the sensuality of the human form in a raw, non-idealized way. Or an abstract statement. Or a face in the crowd, a sky, sea or landscape. But always with an idea in mind.

I sketch with charcoal and use oil paint in over-lapping, thin layers to push and smear motion across the canvas. I paint on a large scale using bold brush strokes and vibrant colors. I feel this best plays up the energy, power and movement in my paintings.

I’m influenced by action painters like Franz Kline and Willem and Elaine de Kooning. They inspire me to compose with a purpose. To just put it down without much calculating.

My paintings are held in private collections and have been featured in regional and national galleries across the country – receiving awards in a number of international juried shows.

I studied painting at Syracuse University, graduating with a BFA degree along with further studies at Rutgers University.

Regional, National & International Juried Exhibitions –

2025 Loose Leaf Gallery, Durham, NC
2024 Page-Walker Arts Center, Cary, NC
2024 Exhibizone, Vancouver, BC
2024 Contemporary Art Museum, NC Artists Exhibition, Raleigh, NC
2023 Page-Walker Arts Center, Cary, NC
2023 Diversia Gallery, Toronto, ON
2023 ArtFields Collective Galleries, Lake City, SC
2023 Gallerium Gallery, Toronto, ON
2022 Modern Visual Arts Gallery, Bethlehem, PA
2022 Las Laguna Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2022 Ellington-White Gallery, Fayetteville, NC
2022 Modern Visual Arts Gallery, Bethlehem, PA
2021 Contemporary Art Gallery, Wilmington, DE
2021 Art Fluent Gallery, Boston, MA
2021 Flagler Art Gallery, Palm Coast, FL
2021 Contemporary Art Gallery, Wilmington, DE
2021 Camelback Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2020 Contemporary Art Gallery, Annapolis, MD
2019 Galleries at LabCentral, Cambridge, MA
2017 Galatea Fine Art, Boston, MA

Awards
International Juried Shows –

2023 Camelback Gallery, ‘Faces’, Scottsdale, AZ
2023 Art Show International Gallery, ‘Figurative’ Los Angeles, CA
2022 Art Show International Gallery, ‘6th Open’, Los Angeles, CA
2021 Camelback Gallery, ‘Flower Power’, Scottsdale, AZ
2021 Fusion Art Gallery, ‘C...