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A private studio visit on the evening of Friday February, 3rd.

This visit had

been one of several that day for Michael and he was hospitable despite the long

day. When looking for a studio to visit Michael came to mind because of his

passionate work that has close ties to his personal experiences. Michael, being a

gracious and professional host, had set up three two-dimensional works and four

smaller sculptural works relating to the main two-dimensional works. The pieces

existed on one side of a spacious three-walled white room named the gray gallery,

a gallery available in the shared public space of the main sculpture room.

The visit began with Michael’s explanation of his concept and artistic process.

Three of us sat in front of three drawings accompanied by ceramic rainbows

displayed on the floor. The source of the drawings came out of Michael’s discovery

and identification of a queer indigenous mating ritual. However, he used the term

indigenous, not in its traditional form that is tied to geography, but instead based

out of a community that takes place everywhere. This conceptual decision was

made in rethinking environment through technological spaces like the internet. The

notion Michael created is one of an exclusive community that simultaneously exists

everywhere and is present throughout his works. The subjects of the drawings took

on the same ubiquitous ability to exist in space.

To compose the drawings Michael transplanted photos of himself and his

partner into memories from his past. The oldest work in his display was between

three and four months. What stood out was the artist’s ability to allow his present

life to be vulnerable to his past. Perhaps a comment on the ability for a homosexual

man to remain affected by the isolation and discrimination of one’s youth, as well

as the ongoing need for respect in the social spaces still dictated by a primarily
heteronormative culture. The three main drawings displayed were large-scale

expressions of personal memories in juncture with the artist’s current life.

The combination of present and past created an entirely different space for

time to exist. Informing these manipulated spaces, such as a skeeball game booth

at the Jersey Shore, were invented perspectives, superimposed portraits, and

surface treatments with glitter. Connecting these works to a larger “canvas”, were

four small (14” x 12”), handcrafted rainbows.The floor pieces expanded the

boundaries of the paintings from wall to floor, altering the viewers posture from

wall to ground. These rainbows were made of pinched clay with airbrush and glitter

surface treatments. Decisions like these seem to show a propensity for the artist to

work toward a reclamation of spaces not only in the gallery, but in the context of

his artwork, using non-traditional materials and showing with an unconventional

connection between the wall, the floor, the subject matter, invented perspectives,

and unrefined treatment of line and form.

As the visit progressed, Michael shared the spontaneous inspiration that lead

him to expand his project and brought us back to his studio space. The studio itself,

shared with multiple artists, had a laidback feel. Small studio cubicles made up

about a quarter of the room. The faint lighting and small scale made the studios a

place for brainstorming and visualizing works rather than bringing them to fruition.

The size of the studios seemed to make it difficult for artists working in large scale

to accomplish much in the studio.Yet, for my purposes, this smaller space allowed

for more intimate conversation and insight into the process of the artist.

Back in the studio Michael let us know some of the innate influences of the

work. Michael shared with us that, after applying to grad school, he felt a renewed
freedom, one that inspired a series of works the artist found a natural pride in

creating. It is ironic that the grad school process, that ideally enhances an artist’s

style, had the opposite effect. For Michael, the need to have his artwork polished at

all times and calculate the meaning behind every material used, including, image

placement, prevented the natural growth and expression in his art. In a candid

moment, Michael also opened up his sketchbook. The 10” x 12” sketchbook

contained much of Michael’s earlier works. It was shocking to see that Michael’s

previous work took place on a much smaller and duller scale after seeing the

grandeur of his current work. Looking at the current work it was hard to imagine

that Michael’s previous style was confined to ten to twelve-inch paper. Seeing the

outline and pre-airbrushed form of the drawing, gave insight into the process

behind making a finished piece. I was grateful to see the studio in action, where the

artist is closest with his art. For the artist, the studio is rarely a place for solitude,

yet remains a vulnerable space for expression.

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