Michael Dormer

"Party in Venice" Satirical Drawing by Michael Dormer

1960

Original and whimsical drawing of a peaceful island life scene, treated with a humorous tone. The composition presents a joyful figure standing mid-calf in the water, her arms raised to the sky, as if embracing and thanking the sunny horizon and the serenity this moment brings her. In the foreground, on the left, stretches a landscape framed by lush tropical foliage, delicately rendered in soft greens, blues, and yellows, dotted with flowers evoking idyllic, fantasized landscapes of distant islands. The key character, wearing diving goggles, is dressed in a skirt of banana leaves à la Robinson Crusoe—his only outfit, suggesting that without it, he’d likely be in nothing but his birthday suit. Alone in the world, or nearly, as a rooster and a little pig seem to delight in the spectacle of this happy man, adding an almost surreal narrative touch, worthy of a storybook. The palm trees and vibrant flowers are carefully illustrated, providing a rich, natural backdrop without overshadowing the main figure, the placid ocean, and the unperturbed horizon line. The sun, hanging low in a clear sky, bathes the entire scene in warm light, capturing a moment of harmony suspended in time. Michael Dormer was an American fine artist, writer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and creator of the 1960s TV show Shrimpenstein. Highly influential in California surf culture...

Through singular facial analysis, the artist dissolves the traditional concept of perspective, presenting the central figure with a multiplication of contours. The main subject, like...

"Family Portrait" is an original gouache and pencil piece on paper by Thomas Smith. The artist uses pure, unmixed color in flat planes, shading only on the faces of the figures, which makes them stand out from the rest of the image. The three figures sit in a triangular formation. The tallest figure looms over the other two with a dark black cloak...

'Scarlet Dreams'. Original Artwork. Framed ready to hang _________________ Exploring the flux and balance in the nature of all things, 'Scarlet Dreams' captures an essence of the equ...