Cradle Sculpture

This mixed media wall sculpture is from my artist residency at Ox-Bow School of Art and Artist Residency around the theme of objecthood. The concept is to break out of the traditional painting into a hybrid which I call constructs. Playing with color and light literally by integrating a small red light inside the piece which radiates off of a scarlet red interior cut out. Textured bright blue exterior contrasts against it and floating above is a "cradle" for the cutout shape. Object hangs on the wall and needs access to the power source below the work. I have a few more in this series that I will also be listing. Signed, titled, and dated on the back. Black vintage light cord measures 56" Interpreting a utilitarian three-dimensional form onto a flat plane creating a new physical object is the ideology behind my current body of work. My paintings have found their place somewhere between representation and abstraction through deletion, isolation and exaggeration of inanimate design items. I am attracted to modern furniture, lighting and accessories because of their inherent abstract structure. Through abstraction I am able to capture the spirit of modern design esthetics while creating a new original entity. By attaching actual modern readymade objects to paintings, I create a dialog between utilitarian and non-utilitarian articles. As well as breaking the two dimensionality of a painting, the readymade presents a contrast of objecthood against representation; the subject Modernist painters have struggled with throughout the twentieth century. To reinforce objecthood, physicality is stressed in the work through the evolution of material use and how it relates to the forms inspiring the paintings. This illustrates one paradox I find in painting; it can be referential of something or an object itself, yet these two opposing views are really inseparable. Michael Pfleghaar received his MFA in visual arts from Lesley University College of Art and Design in 2011. Modernist design objects, architecture, and interiors inspire Pfleghaar’s colorful abstract paintings and constructions. His artwork has been featured in Arcadia Magazine, Studio Visit, Metropolitan Home, Solace, and American Craft. Apple, ForeSee, Hayworth, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, and Fredrick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park are a few of the organizations who have utilized Pfleghaar's artwork as illustrations. This year Pfleghaar attended the Spread Art Artists Residency in Detroit, MI and in 2013 was awarded the Joan Mitchell Foundation’s Ox-Bow School and Artists Residency in Saugatuck, MI. His work was included in the 2012 LGBTQ exhibition ReMix: Revisiting Appropriation, curated by Jonathan Katz in San Francisco, CA. His original artworks are in permanent collections including the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Steelcase Inc., Herman Miller, the State of Michigan and Grand Valley State University. www.pfleghaar.com

Sculpture:Lights on Wood

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:24 W x 30 H x 4 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.