Maura Segal

"Blue Moon" Light Blue & White Color Blocked with Blue Line

Born December 12, 1965 in New York City, Michael's father owned a fine art moving business and his mother was a playright/director. They were surrounded by a diverse crowd of artists,such as filmmaker Gary Galsworth and painter Charles Mingus Jr.. Michael’s family moved across the USA, living in Madison and Santa Fe, and finally settled on Whidbey Island in Washington State. He spent his teenage years clearing a six acre plot of land with his family and building a seven sided geodesic dome house. Michael attended The Evergreen State College from 1983-87, studying film and photography. After graduation he took his camera and, over a ten year period, traveled extensively throughout Europe. While travelling he lived with, performed with, and documented circus performers and their communities. With no formal education as a painter, Michael draws on his eclectic past for inspiration - strongly influenced by his travels throughout Spain and France and rich colors and textures marked by time. Michael moved to St. Louis in 2001, where he works as a full time artist and raises his daughter and twin boys - a lifetime dream. His artwork is collected by individuals and corporations worldwide. "My paintings are meditative studies done with rich colors and bold graphic compositions - I often incorporate circles, grids and stripes. The universality and appeal of this symbology pulls the viewer in and holds them there to explore the subtle details. I try to create work that both captivates and calms. I work with abstractions because I want to put forth something universal that can be open to interpretations that are unique to each individual and can continue to evolve over time. A common theme in my painting is the relationship between rigid linear form and the organic flow of nature, order and disorder. I feel this is reflective in many ways of our society and peoples’ longing for something more than the sterility of technology in our modern lives. I believe inclusion of these two elements creates a certain universal harmony in many of my paintings. My pieces are also about the act of painting itself. I explore the physical nature of my materials and push to use unique and original methods of applying them. Many times there is strong evidence of my physical relationship to the canvas as I paint - using my body motion as a natural pendulum and the random arcs of my markings. Other works are done on wood panels that I coat with a plaster mixture and carve into before it sets. The geometrical markings bring to mind old nautical maps...

"My art practice crosses three continents over two decades. The works consider the images and ideas that mark my journey into the spiritual and cultural dimensions of painting as a creative activity. During a period when I have carried adventurous journeys across several different social and geographic divides, I began to search deeper for an understanding of who I am, and where I am. My paintings started to explore the idea of self as the most fundamental element of human nature; I tried to seek my identity as I examined human nature." Hyunmee Lee was born in Seoul Korea, where she grew up practicing Western Modern art with experience in Eastern painting...

"My art practice crosses three continents over two decades. The works consider the images and ideas that mark my journey into the spiritual and cultural dimensions of painting as a creative activity. During a period when I have carried adventurous journeys across several different social and geographic divides, I began to search deeper for an understanding of who I am, and where I am. My paintings started to explore the idea of self as the most fundamental element of human nature; I tried to seek my identity as I examined human nature." Hyunmee Lee was born in Seoul Korea, where she grew up practicing Western Modern art with experience in Eastern painting...

"My art practice crosses three continents over two decades. The works consider the images and ideas that mark my journey into the spiritual and cultural dimensions of painting as a creative activity. During a period when I have carried adventurous journeys across several different social and geographic divides, I began to search deeper for an understanding of who I am, and where I am. My paintings started to explore the idea of self as the most fundamental element of human nature; I tried to seek my identity as I examined human nature." Hyunmee Lee was born in Seoul Korea, where she grew up practicing Western Modern art with experience in Eastern painting...

Petra Rös-Nickel’s original paintings merge playful forms, bright colors and architectural compositions in oil and mixed media on canvas. Her contemporary artworks contain rich textu...

Harrison Gilman's large original artworks begin with a layer of fast-paced gestural abstraction followed by organic shapes and geometric structures. Some of his paintings remain in t...

This abstract painting by artist Christine Averill-Green is made with oil and mixed media on canvas. Blue, purple, and teal colors blend together beautifully and are juxtaposed by metallic gold paint embellishments, causing the painting to change in altering light. The artwork features organic line work and calming colors. Averill-Green has been exhibiting her artwork in galleries and museums in Upstate New York for over 40 years. She received her B.A. in Art and an M.S. in Art Education. Artists such as Richard Diebenkorn, Euan Eglow, Antonio Lopez Garcia, and her teachers Catherine Kehoe...

Mexican artist Heny Steinberg’s abstracted landscapes invite us to travel from the map to the localized event. The shapes within Steinberg’s work transcend two dimensional representation and have meaning beyond visual appearance. Her process begins with concrete images and references, yet over time give way to her process. Her abstractions fluctuate between representation and abstraction of variables.. Her works are reminiscent of American Abstract Expressionists like Helen Frankenthaler but also have a clear Mexican Cubist...