vice & verse Painting

Armed with a voyeur’s propensity to observe, and a mash up of collected tastes and interests, Michael uses words, shapes, and colors to formulate his abstract expressions. Michael is drawn to the little details of our everyday: patterns, shapes, intersections. He is also fascinated by how language—with its colloquialisms, idioms, and varied meanings—shapes our everyday existence. Michael believes language is itself a work of art. Michael prefers working in acrylic, with bright solid colors and simple lines. Influenced by his graphic design background, he gravitates toward an arrangement of words and graphics that most impactfully tells a story in a nonverbal way. He thinks of his work as “talking pictures.” His goal as an artist is to create works that are accessible and relatable–works that invoke a smile or nod. He was first inspired to pursue the arts after seeing Keith Haring’s subway chalk drawings. Among his influences, Michael is in awe of Cy Twombly’s genius, as well as that of Marc Chagall, Arshille Gorky, Francis Picabia, Chaïm Soutine, Stuart Davis and Joan Miró. Michael lives and works in New York.