CV/Bio
Brian McCormick
Madison, Wisconsin
Brian McCormick retired from the Wisconsin Historical Society 17 years ago. He had spent his career as a Preservation Architect, though his first love (and his first degree) was fine art. After many years away from it, he started painting again just before he retired and hasn't stopped since. After a course at the local community college, he added woodblock prints to his repertoire. He splits his time between a small house on the isthmus in Madison, Wisconsin, and a stone miner's cottage in a little hollow outside of Galena, Illinois.
EDUCATION
Master of Architecture, Historic Preservation, May 1984,
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign IL
Master of Fine Arts, Painting, May 1976,
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN
Bachelor of Arts, Fine Arts major, Horticulture minor, June 1974,
Western Illinois University, Macomb IL
JURIED AND INVITATIONAL ART EXHIBITIONS
Wild
Overt Space Gallery, Stoughton, WI Sep. -Nov. 2024
One Square Mile: My Neighborhood,
Cedarburg Art Museum. Cedarburg, WI Sep. 2021-Jan.2022
Watercolor NOW! 2020, Watercolor U.S.A. Honor Society Invitational,
Margaret Harwell Art Museum. Poplar Bluff, MO Dec. 2020-Jan.2021
Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition,
Center for the Arts Evergreen, CO Sep.-Oct. 2019
Wisconsin Visual Artists’ Juried Small Works Exhibit 2019,
Richeson Gallery, Kimberly, WI Jun. -Aug. 2019
Art in Bloom, group show,
Galena Center for the Arts, Galena, IL Apr.- Jul. 2019
Art of Water III, James May Gallery, Algoma, WI Apr.-Jun. 2019
[untitled] Juried Exhibition, Athens Arts Gallery, Crawfordsville, IN (award) Apr. 2019
Northern Neighbors, Painters and Potters from Wisconsin, group show,
Galena Center for the Arts, Galena, IL Feb.- Mar. 2019
Transparent Watercolor Society of America, 42nd Annual National Exhibition,
Kenosha Public Museum, Kenosha WI May-Aug. 2018
Watercolor USA 2018, Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, MO Jun. - Aug. 2018
Bruce Bobick: the Ripple Effect. New Work and Influences:
Three Former Professors and Thirty-three Former Students.
Carrollton Cultural Arts Center, Carrollton, GA Jan.-Feb. 2018
Watercolor Wisconsin 2017, Racine Art Museum,
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI Dec. 2017- Apr. 2018
Iconic Wisconsin, Cedarburg Art Museum, Cedarburg, WI Nov. 2017-Jan. 2018
Watercolor USA 2017, Springfield Art Museum, Springfield MO Jun. - Aug. 2017
Watercolor Wisconsin 2016, Racine Art Museum,
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI Dec. 2016- Apr. 2017
Small is Beautiful, group show, Galena Center for the Arts, Galena, IL Nov. 2016-Jan. 2017
Water and Wood, solo exhibition, Ballweg Gallery,
Goodman Community Center, Madison, WI, Jul. 2016
Watercolor Wisconsin 2015, Racine Art Museum,
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI Dec. 2015- Apr. 2016
The Wonder of Wood, group show, Galena Center for the Arts, Galena, IL Jun.-Jul. 2015
Eye on the Land: Mark Arnold, Brian McCormick, Karen Watson-Newlin,
Gallery II, Overture Center, Madison, WI Jun.-Aug. 2015
Portraits of the Tri-States, Annual Juried Show,
Outside the Lines Art Gallery, Dubuque, IA, award Feb. 2015
11th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition, Freeport Art Museum, Freeport, IL Nov. 2014-Jan. 2015
Out of the Woods, Contemporary Woodblock Prints, Guenzel Gallery,
Peninsula School of Arts, Fish Creek, WI Aug.-Oct. 2014
A Sense of Place: New Watercolor Landscapes and Ceramics of the Drifltless Region,
solo painting exhibition with the 20 Dirty Hands Potters,
Outside the Lines Gallery, Dubuque, IA Mar. 2014
Waters and Woods, Invitational with Amy Arntson,
MOWA (Museum of Wisconsin Art) at St. John's on the Lake, Milwaukee, WI Jan. 2014-Apr. 2014
Watercolor Wisconsin 2013, Racine Art Museum,
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI, award Dec. 2013 - Apr. 2014
Friends of the Springfield Art Museum, 30th Anniversary Exhibition,
Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, MO Sep. 2013-Mar. 2014
Urban(wood) Encounter, Group Invitational Exhibition,
Delafield Art Center, Delafield, WI Aug-Sep. 2013
Natural Selections, Wisconsin Visual Artists Juried Exhibition,
Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison, WI Aug-Oct. 2013
Beneath the Surface, Wisconsin Visual Artists South Central Chapter Juried Exhibition,
Overture Center for the Arts, Madison, WI Jul-Sep. 2013
Biennial Juried Exhibition, Dubuque Art Museum, Dubuque, IA, Apr. - Mar. 2013
Watercolor Wisconsin 2012, Racine Art Museum,
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI Dec. 2012 - Apr. 2013
Group Exhibition, Delafield Art Center, Delafield, WI, Oct-Dec. 2012
Small Waters, Illinois Watercolor Society's National Juried Exhibition,
Oak Park Art League, Oak Park, IL award Sep.- Oct. 2012
Watercolor Wisconsin 2011, Racine Art Museum,
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI, award Dec. 2011 - Apr. 2012
Wisconsin Artists Biennial, Anderson Art Center, Kenosha WI, June - Aug. 2011
Transparent Watercolor Society of America, 35th Annual National Exhibition,
Kenosha Public Museum, Kenosha WI, May - Jul. 2011
Biennial Juried Exhibition, Dubuque Art Museum, Dubuque, IA Dec. 2010 - Mar. 2011
Watercolor Wisconsin 2010, Racine Art Museum,
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI, award Dec. 2010 - Apr. 2011
North East Watercolor Society's 34th Annual International Juried Exhibition
Kent Art Association, Kent CT Oct.-Nov. 2010
Small Waters, Illinois Watercolor Society's National Juried Exhibition,
Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst IL July-Aug. 2010
Watercolor USA 2010, Springfield Art Museum, Springfield MO Jun. - Aug. 2010
Illinois Watercolor Society 26th Annual Open Juried Exhibition,
The Next Picture Show, Dixon IL May 2010
Solo Exhibition, "A Year in the Driftless", Steinhauer Trust Gallery,
UW Arboretum Visitors Center, Madison WI Jan.-Feb. 2010
Northern National Juried Art Competition,
Nicolet College Art Gallery, Rhinelander WI Jul. - Sep. 2009
Watercolor USA 2009, Springfield Art Museum,
Springfield MO, two purchase awards Jun. - Aug. 2009
Wisconsin Artists Biennial, Rahr-West Art Museum, Manitowoc WI May - Jul. 2009
Transparent Watercolor Society of America Annual National Show,
Kenosha Public Museum, Kenosha WI May - Jul. 2009
Watercolors by "Purple Max" Award Alumni (invitational),
University Art Gallery, Western Illinois University, Macomb IL Mar. - Apr. 2009
Arts in Harmony National Juried Art Show,
Sherburne County Government Center, Elk Creek MN Feb. - Mar. 2009
Watercolor Wisconsin, Racine Art Museum,
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine WI Dec. 2008 - Apr. 2009
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY/ ART AND ARCHITECTURE
Preservation Architect, May 1989 - Jan. 2008 and Sep. 2008 - Jan. 2009
Division of Historic Preservation, Wisconsin Historical Society, 816 State Street, Madison WI 53706,
Project Manager and Designer, Aug. 1987 - May 1989
Arlan Kay and Associates, 110 King Street, Madison WI 53703
Job Captain (Architect-in-training), July 1985 - Aug. 1987
HSR Associates Inc., 2702 International Lane, Suite 201, Madison WI 53704
Architect-in-training, Sep. 1984 - June 1985
Flad and Associates, 6200 Mineral Point Road, P.O. Box 5098, Madison WI 53705
Architecture Technician, HABS/HAER Division, June 1984 - Sep. 1984
Department of the Interior, Hot Springs National Park AR 71901
Teaching Assistant, Department of Architecture, Sep. 1983 - May 1984
University of Illinois, Urbana IL 61820
Draftsman, Universal Bleacher Co., May 1982 - Aug. 1982