"Bryner is well-known for her interior scenes, many of which depict her own home. Her paintings are filled with potted plants, sunlight and shadow, colorfully patterned rugs and a variety of chairs. There are few people in her paintings. Chairs often take their places and have the same strong substantiality usually associated with living beings. Indeed, they seem to have posed for Bryner, like people, and she gives each one the individual attention that a portrait painter would give his human subjects.

Bryner's work does not seem to be purposely symbolic or metaphoric. Yet her interiors almost always include an object with an intense presence, a feeling of being that is stronger than many people emit. Usually the object is a chair, an open door, a window, or potted plant. These objects seem to have the self-awareness of human beings. It is tempting to view these works as self-portraits, in which the artist shows a side of herself that would not otherwise be revealed. Perhaps Bryner is showing us something about the strong influence that places have on our lives, and hers. Perhaps she means us to understand that our identities are formed by our surroundings."

Mary Beth Michaels
Beyond Description: Work by 3 Alaskan Artists