About
Shields sides with transitivity and marginality, with weeds against gardens. He has a positive, Thoreauvian feeling for wilderness -- Calvin Bedient
Shields works in a universal vocabulary of evocative lines and swelling shapes that could just as easily apply to biology as geography. It’s always somewhat hart-stopping to see someone working with so much confidence, in an idiom many thought moribund, and on a truly grand scale — Ann Landi
Brian Shields' life and work are an exploration and expression of nature, history, and the human spirit – whether in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains, the policy boardrooms of the US Congress, or in the privacy of his studio. Born into an international artistic family, Shields' art has been influenced by his origins in Barcelona, Spain, and his extensive travels throughout Europe, North America and Japan. Prior to establishing his home and studio in the semi-arid mountains of northern New Mexico, he studied and worked in the theatre and visual arts in Paris and New York. Shields went on to become a wilderness guide, leading river, mountain, and canyon expeditions throughout the southern Rocky Mountains and the Colorado Plateau, and in 1988 became the founder and director of Amigos Bravos: Because Water Matters, a nationally recognized advocacy organization for the protection and restoration of the waters of New Mexico. While continuing his environmental advocacy, Shields is dedicated full time to his studio art practice. He lives with his wife, poet Sawnie Morris, in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico.
Links to Reviews and Videos
http://www.lanaturnerjournal.com/print-issue-7-contents/two-artists
http://www.taosnews.com/artist-environmentalist/image_e9255278-ee74-11e4-9772-dfad88aaa875.html
http://taosnews.com/stories/parts-of-the-whole,43049?
Webpage: http://www.brianshieldsart.com
Education
· American College in Paris, France
· Hofstra University, New York (B.A. in Art History)
· Art Students League, New York City
Exhibitions
2018
12/11-1/12/19 XXXI Muestra International, Circuit Artístic & Fundación Claret, Barcelona, Spain
11/17-11/18 Under the Surface, Beyond the Edge, Open Studio, Los Angeles, CA
10/8-11/16 Dreaming the Land, Encore Gallery, Taos NM (2 person)
9/22-11/15 Non-Representational Taos, 203 Fine Art, Taos NM
9/20-9/29 Outside the Lines, Bareiss Gallery, Taos NM
5/12-6/17 Earth Fire and Paint, Studio 107-B, Taos NM
5/10-6/16 New Mexico Artists, Michael Warren Contemporary, Denver CO
4/16-5/13 TCA Group show, Encore Gallery, Taos NM
2017 Earthly Elements, Philip Bareiss Gallery
2016 TCA Group show, Encore Gallery, Taos NM
2015 TCA Group Show, Stables Gallery, Taos NM
Transitions, (one person show), Philip Bareiss Gallery, Taos NM
2014 Nocturnal Expressions, Philip Bareiss Gallery, Taos NM
2012 Occupy Taos, Philip Bareiss Gallery, Taos NM
TCA Group Show, Stables Gallery, Taos NM
2010 Miranda Canyon, Philip Bareiss Gallery, Taos NM
1999 Brian Shields, Unframed, (one person show), Philip Bareiss Gallery
1998 Members Show, Stables Gallery, Taos, NM
Taos Open, Bataan Armory, Taos, NM
Members’ Room, Stables Gallery, Taos, NM
1997 Environment, Elements and Ecology, Stables Gallery, Taos, NM
“One Man/One Week,” Southside Bean, Taos, NM
1996 Members Show, Stables Gallery, Taos, NM
Fathers Day, Parks Gallery, Taos, NM
El Ancon, Ribera, NM
Taos Open, Bataan Armory, Taos, NM
1995 Self Portrait, Stables Gallery, Taos, NM
Taos Open, Bataan Armory, Taos, NM
1994 Members Show, Stables Gallery, Taos, NM
El Ancon, Ribera, NM
1993 Spring Arts Festival, Stables Gallery, Taos, NM
Taos Open, Bataan Armory, Taos, NM
1991 Student Show at the New York Art Students League, NY
Publications
Lana Turner #10: A Journal of Poetry & Opinion, 2017 (two color plates + 3 black and white images)
“J. M. W. Turner: Why Now?” by Brian Shields, Lana Turner #8: A Journal of Poetry & Opinion, 2015
“The Role of Non-Government Organizations” by Brian Shields, Mining in New Mexico, New Mexico Tech (ISBN 1-883905-22-2)
Ski Touring Trails of the Enchanted Circle, by Brian Shields and Richard Erickson, published by Taos Mountain Outfitters
Cover Art
Enchanting Verses Literary Review, Vol. XXVI, 2017
Enchanting Verses Literary Review, Vol. XXV, 2017
Lana Turner #9: A Journal of Poetry & Opinion, 2016
Lana Turner #8: A Journal of Poetry & Opinion, 2015
Howl, University of New Mexico-Taos, 2015
Environmental Advocacy
From 1988-2015, founded and directed Amigos Bravos: Because Water Matters (https://amigosbravos.org), a nationally recognized, award-winning statewide conservation and social justice advocacy organization for the protection and restoration of New Mexico’s rivers and waterways. Beginning as a collaboration among artists, scientists, and attorneys working with community activists to protect the Rio Grande, the organization has grown into a statewide organization with full-time paid staff, a membership of over 2,000 people, and a national reputation for combining environmental protection with social justice advocacy.
Major Accomplishments:
· Built an organization with credibility, accountability and staying power
· Achieved US Congressional approval to permanently protected over 100,000 acres of the Valle Vidal (New Mexico’s Yellowstone)
· Gained Wild and Scenic River Act protection for 23 miles of the Rio Grande
· Lead a 27 year campaign (including multiple lawsuits) that resulted in the clean up of contamination to the Red River from a century of discharges at the Chevron/Molycorp mine in Questa, NM
· Successfully settled a lawsuit against Los Alamos National Laboratory and the US Department of Justice for the clean up of World War II era nuclear contamination at over 400 sites
· Worked with over 50 national, state and community organizations to further the mission of Amigos Bravos
Awards
Piñon Award for Community Service in the Environment
Carl Souder Award for the Protection of New Mexico’s Water Resources
New Mexico Community Foundation Award for Outstanding Grantee
Peace Action New Mexico Peace Activist Award.
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