Chris Bryan - The Model Maker.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Christopher S. Bryan Christopher Bryan, age 42, has been building scale replicas (models) since he was ten years old. He began learning to build on a Revel Type Seven U-boat. From that project sprung a passion for creativity that developed as he grew up. He created scale replicas on and off throughout his teen and young adult years, increasing his knowledge and skill level as time passed. Although he’s never had any formal education regarding this craft, he has enhanced his skills through hands on experience over the years. When Chris was 35 years old, he began to take a more serious interest in the craft and began to build for competition and still competes on local, regional, national, and international levels. He also builds for profit on a contractual basis. He focuses mainly on amour, aircraft, and figures, but also builds sci-fi, fantasy, naval, and automotive pieces. He has won roughly 75 awards for his work, and although he was proud of his accomplishments, he longed to use his skills for something more meaningful. The chance for this fulfillment came in the form of an idea for a project for the Virginia Holocaust Museum. Chris was always a history buff, which often accompanies the craft of creating scale replicas, and had done in-depth research on World War II over the years. The plight of the people who suffered in the Holocaust touched his heart deeply. He felt the need to contribute to the public awareness of this horrible atrocity in the hopes that he could, somehow, pay tribute to those lost and to the brave survivors. An idea began to form for a display that he would build to represent multitude of innocent people who were loaded onto trains and delivered to nightmarish places such as Auschwitz. He hoped that, in some way, his work might serve to honor the victims and to educate the public at large about this most dark period of history. Perhaps, by seeing the scene brought to life in three dimensions, people might look at the story told by this piece and realize that these were not simply faceless, nameless individuals, but human beings; people with families, homes, lives, dreams, and hopes. If one looks closely enough, there are stories within the story. The elderly woman seated on the edge of the boxcar, left to fend for herself. The aged and infirm being loaded onto a separate truck because they were of no practical use. The luggage being confiscated. The Sonder Kommando; prisoners who were forced, by the Nazis, to assist in the rounding up of the Jewish people. Futile arguments between the Nazi guards and the Kommando. The truck filled with human ash behind the train. The barrels of Zyklon B stacked against the building. Families being separated, waving to one another. People from all walks of life, all backgrounds, all socio-economic levels. The General and the Staff Officers viewing the blueprints designed for expansion of the camp. More than simply a representation of an event in time, this project is a representation of the people who suffered this horrible nightmare. It is dedicated to each and every person that has ever been a victim of this most heinous torture, persecution, and genocide. The name of this project is but three letters long…. “Why?” One simple question….no simple answer. |
| Christopher Bryan 118 Lee Avenue, Colonial Heights, Virginia 23834 (804)-216-0177 chrisbryan118@comcast.net Objective: To obtain a position as a custom fabricator of scale military vehicles and/or dioramas. I have ten years of experience and have received over 75 awards at competitions for first place, best out-of-box, and best-in-show. I have also created custom builds and large museum projects. I have a strong commitment to reference and research in order to ensure accuracy and detail orientation. Experience: 1998–Present
Membership:
|