I was born in New York City in 1965 and grew up the middle of five children, in New Mexico, New Jersey and New York. I studied photography with Christopher James and art history with Simon Schama in addition to studying English and American Literature before graduating in 1987 from Harvard College. After working as a freelance photographer for a few years, for the J. Crew catalog and other clients, I started a family with my husband Bartley Bryt. I wrote and illustrated Baby Love: A Tradition of Calm Parenting (Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1998) based on what my mother taught me about taking care of babies. To develop a lifelong interest in painting, I then studied oil painting and pastels with Sharon Sprung, Michele LiCalsi and Wolf Kahn at the National Academy of Design School of Fine Arts in New York. Now I live and work in New York with my family. I think I photograph and paint in order to see. I find that things happen too quickly in life, and that making a photograph or a painting slows down time for me, gives me a chance really to see things. I think I am trying to re-create some aspect of life, some aspect of my experience, when I make a photograph or a painting. Like David Hockney, I try to make my paintings evoke how we see things in life-- with a wider view, and through time. Since I was very young I've been fascinated by areas of color, the effects of light, and the relationships between people. I hope my paintings and photographs help you to see your own world with fresh eyes. Maud Bryt 2009
