Michael D Smith | ||||
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Bio | ||||
Michael grew up in a household where art and
music were a part of life. Being raised in a creative environment
inspired him to create his own art and music. His earliest major art
influence was Hot Rod Magazine cartoonist “Big daddy” Ed Roth. As a
teenager he would create his own versions of the cartoonist work. It was
Ed Roth’s bizarre art that inspired Michael’s endless interest in
abstract and surreal art. His formal art
education was limited to high school and community college. He learned
freehand illustration and perspective drawing as a drafting major. He
used freehand illustration for fabrication drawings in his job for about
25 years. In 2004 he started using Photoshop to create award winning
abstract/surreal manipulated photography. In 2008 he started painting
with acrylics. He received his first acrylic painting award at the 2012
California state fair. He avoids many of the contemporary art rules and
processes because he feels they diminish his creative energy and
artistic freedom. He views his lack of formal training and study as a
double edged sword that helps and hinders. He endeavors to create art
that will capture the viewer’s attention and compel them to resolve or
understand what they see. He tries not to get caught up in trying to
create art for a market or copy a style. He paints what appeals to him
and hopes it appeals to others. He feels that a picture isn’t done until he can
put a name on it that will resonate with most people. His secret to
creating unique and exceptional artwork lies in mastering the basics,
not mastering the styles of others. His goal is to create art that will
contain timeless messages or insights that are common to man in general
and can be realized worldwide.
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Artist
Statement |
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I create unique, interesting and stimulating art
because of a creative compulsion I seem to have been born with. I have
always felt compelled to create and make original objects. When I decided to take my art seriously I
started out manipulating photography. I used the knowledge gained from
that process to expand my capabilities and develop a painting process
with acrylics. My paintings contain the same exceptional color
combinations and vibrancy as my manipulated photography. I progressed to
acrylic painting to develop the skill to paint whatever I could imagine. I evolved into my current style with a loose
direction in mind. To reach that goal I spent a few years mixing colors,
working with shading, contrast and painting realism studies to achieve
depth, shape and realism to my imaginary objects. I am currently creating Surreal/Abstract
pictures that
project a message. I have reached a painting goal where I can paint
whatever I can think of. In a sense I am just starting to produce the
art that I envisioned 4 years ago. I create images that are unusual and
relevant. They will stand the test of time and increase in value. My
pictures sometimes vary greatly from one to the next without conforming
to a distinct type of style, but it is easy to see they are the work the
same artist and somehow connected
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