Much of his oeuvre consists of paintings inspired by the life and geography of the West Coast of the United States, particularly California.
Early in his career he was associated with California Scene Painting but after World War II Brandt focused on complex, semi-abstract works.
He studied Chinese landscape painting, Byzantine art, and the modernist painters Cézanne, Picasso, and Matisse.
Among the artists represented were Brandt, Millard Sheets, Barse Miller, Phil Dike, Milford Zornes, and George Post.
[5] In March 1938 Brandt married the sculptor and painter Joan Irving, whom he had met at Riverside Junior College.
Then in 1943 Brandt, having left Riverside Junior College, moved with his young family to Corona del Mar, just south of Newport Beach, where they had purchased property.
Then in 1966 Brandt and his wife built a second home on Shaw Island where they typically spent a few months a year.