Painter Bryten Goss died on October 26th in Los Angeles, of coronary failure spurred by a viral attack that impeded his heart's ability to function. He was 30 years old.


Memorial services were held in Hollywood on October 29th, with over 500 friends in attendance. His patrons read like a Who's Who of Hollywood, and include Nicolas Cage, Danny Masterson, Kevin Smith, Jason Lee, Chris Masterson, Laura Prepon, Nick Nolte, Soleil Moon Frye and Jason Goldberg, Joey Pantoliano, Wynona Rider, Giovanni Ribisi, Jenna Elfman, Ben Foster, Ruth Vitale, Gottfried and Renate Helnwein, Juliette Lewis, Carol Masterson, Ethan Suplee, Nancy Cartwright, Stark Sands, Su Falcon, DJ AM Adam Goldstein and many more.

His work and shows have been featured in numerous magazines, including Elle, Nylon, InStyle, LA Confidential and Details.

His professional career began when Goss was still in his teens, with his first showing in 1993, followed by routine exhibitions often staged by one or more of the patrons who collected his work. In 1998, Details magazine hosted a show, and in 2001, InStyle magazine hosted a red carpet gala exhibition at Quixote Studios in Hollywood in which Goss sold out the entire 34-piece collection of by the end of the night.

Goss was an integral part of a group show held in October 2002 at the Downtown Independent Gallery at 811 Traction. In addition to Goss, the show featured work by world-class artists Gottfried Helnwein, Patrick Morrison, and the late Miguel Arguello.

In the summer of 2003, Goss was part of the ever-popular artist's festival, Scope-Art Los Angeles, held in the Standard Hotel, in downtown Los Angeles.

In September 2006, Goss delivered what turned out to be one of his final works, a 24 x 6" mural commission of "Women On Pigs," oil on linen, to art collector Roberto Santos of Mexico City, which can be viewed on his website (www.brytengoss.com).

A native of Los Angeles, Goss first showed his talent when he was a child. His mother still has early sketches, including a drawing of a cat he made around age 7, that she later found remarkably resembled a sculpture from a history book on ancient Egypt-a book he'd never seen. A self-taught painter, Goss painstakingly researched techniques used by the early masters, and painted with oils in traditional methods. A world traveller, he studied classical paintings in museums throughout the U.S. and Europe, but his early subject matter was pulled from the places and people he visited on his journeys. Goss was renown for his ability to capture the human form and emotion, from his early portraits of working-class Irishmen to his strong, revealing series of nude women.

A prolific artist, Goss, in his sixteen-year career, left behind a body of work that would be expected only from a seasoned master with decades of production.

His "style" was uniquely his own, and evolved from his passion for immersing himself into his research until he had a full grasp of technique. Some of his early collectors even have works in frames that he meticulously crafted by hand-the frames themselves exemplary of his attention to fine craftsmanship. Following in the steps of the Old Masters, he was perfecting his skill in etching, and produced a series of limited-edition giclée prints from some of his canvases.

A true renaissance mix of past craft and future vision, Goss expanded his professional scope from canvas to motion pictures in the early 2000s, directing two short films. At his untimely demise, he was working on a screenplay that would have been his directorial debut for a feature-length movie.

Goss's skills went beyond his work.
A master fly fisherman, he fly-fished some of the most famous rivers on this planet.
He was also a gourmet cook.

As a loyal friend, he was known and loved for his honest and candid opinions.
Many of his friends rallied around his bed during the three weeks that he was hospitalized prior to his death. Up until the end, he was playful and joking, always concerned with making others comfortable, and still planning new works.

If man is considered as rich as he has friends, then Goss was indeed very rich.

He is survived by his parents Ed and Rose Goss and his younger sister, Shalon Goss.

On his father's side of the family he is survived by his aunt Debbie Goss and grandmother, Victoria Goss. On his mother's side of the family, he is survived by ten aunts and uncles and dozens of cousins. His girlfriend of two years was actress Alex Breckenridge.

His closest friends were Danny Masterson, Stark Sands, Jordan Bromley, Arthur Hubbard, Josh Warner, Chris Masterson, Laura Prepon, Bijou Phillips, Kevin Dorian, Ben Foster, Rachael Cleverly, Alex Breckinridge, his father, his mother, and his sister.

He was close to his family. He had many friends who will miss him, but we do not have enough space to mention them all.

The Bryten Goss Foundation for the Arts is being established to continue the legacy that Goss left behind. This foundation will be responsible for cataloguing and organizing his full body of work.

Immediate plans are to produce two major exhibitions, in Los Angeles and New York City, exact locations and dates to be announced (see www.brytengoss.com for updates and to view his work).

A full-color retrospective of his career is also planned for publication.
Donations are being accepted in memoriam to establish the Bryten Goss foundation and to protect his body of work.

Please make checks payable to his mother, Rose Goss, on behalf of her son.
For more information pertaining to making a larger tax-deductible donation to set up the foundation please call:
Jordan Bromley at 310-312-4134
Manatt Phelps & Phillips
11355 W Olympic Blvd, Century City, CA.

If you own some of Bryten's work and would like to have it considered for the retrospective or considered for display in one of the upcoming shows, or if you have some story or anecdote you'd like to share with his family or friends, please contact the family
c/- Rose Goss
2071 Chilton Drive
Glendale CA 91201 USA
or email at gosswriter@sbcglobal.net.

Bryten once said, "Art is about the work. I'd prefer you view my work instead of asking me my views about it." His legacy will live on.