Greed

Shame

Auferstehung

Statement
I transfigure what exists. I manipulate identifiable objects alongside crafted elements through a process of hunting and gathering, disassembling and replicating, reengineering and distilling. Through a historical lens, I focus on moments where the past and present compare and contrast one another. Using the history and essence of industrial ruins, I fabricate emulations of society and its overabundant remnants. By reflecting upon what happens when conceived materiality obstructs, disrupts, and interferes, a dialogue is started about our effect on and in the world. Through examining the art-object as a vehicle, art can act as a conduit to examine the evolution of one's self and understand our place in space. 



Sculpture 

In 1961, in the small Spanish village of San Sebastian de Garabandal, four young girls had an apparition of the Virgin Mary. They entered a state of ecstasy in which they became completely unaware of their surroundings and sensory perceptions. Reportedly, witnesses would pinch the girls, pierce their skin with needles, lift them up and drop them onto rough rocks, and yet they remained entranced. The light and presence of the Virgin is all they claim to have experienced. Twenty years later, in the town of Medjugorje, Bosnia & Herzegovina, six children also had simultaneous visions of the Virgin, with similar ecstatic qualities. 

‘Noema’ represents my search for the presence of the Virgin Mary in these two locations.

Noema

Michael Morgan ‘Grassroots’ 

The phrase “living for the weekend” is a term that almost all of us can relate to, whether it’s partying with friends, spending time with loved ones or for many of those who participate in Amateur sports. The world of Sunday league football to some of us may seem quite the hidden world, but for those who partake in it, to the point of it being a weekly ritual, it gives them a sense of purpose and many would be lost without it. 
It’s this sense of belonging to a community of like-minded Individuals that draws people in. Whether it be once or twice a week you meet, the bond you create becomes a brotherhood, an unbreakable tie, shared by a love for competing. During that time your together, nothing else matters, often the perfect escape from the wonders of everyday life.

Michael Morgan started exploring this world two years ago. Through the form of photography, he began capturing the realities of amateur football. Morgan entitled the documentary piece as “Grassroots”, which started in his home county of Suffolk – a primarily working-class area where football was part of everyday life. Empty changing rooms and portraits of players gave a behind the scenes perspective. The images questioned the uber masculine reputation that comes with Amateur football, with Morgan’s subjects often giving off a genuine sense of vulnerability.  

Recently the photographers focus turned towards the east end of London, primarily that of Hackney Marshes. This new collection of work concentrates on those that are marginalised within the sport. Ideas around diversity and equality take front seat, two subjects Morgan feels are “key themes that are particularly underrepresented in modern day football”. 

With divisions in our society constantly teetering at breaking point, a close examination into these marginalised sections of the sports world seems vital. At professional level, players are submitted to racial abuse at a totally uncontrollable rate. This effects amateur level as well, if you’re from a minority and seeing this reported so often in the news, how would you feel walking out on the pitch for your local team. 
 
Also, the working class, those who hold football closest to their hearts, are those that felt most alienated from society itself. So, perhaps the answer to bringing everyone closer to each other again, may well lie on the football pitch. It’s not often you get this insight into quite the enclosed section of the sports world. Many questions may well hold answers in ‘grassroots’. 


Grassroots

this charcoal drawing took around 230 hours to complete. Currently unframed

Renaissance Mood

painting done in the traditional Japanese marbling technique but with form and figure on canvas.

Marbled Prince

Marbled Lady Liberty

painting of President Obama done in the traditional Japanese marbling technique but with form and figure on canvas.

Marbled 44

Marbled Bliss

Eye Detail

I See You

Rose

Submerged

This year was hard. I lost both of my remaining Grandparents within 3 months of each other. My Grandpa Wally wasn’t well so it wasn’t a shock, but my Grandma Donna going shortly after him was unexpected. She was an extremely creative and unique woman who lit the flame of creativity in me as a child. But even as this year seemed to drag by so slowly in the hard times, I’m reminded that although their flames have extinguished, they live on. Through the flames they lit inside me and the people they touched they continue to bring light to this world. In my work and everything I do and create, they are a part of it. Their blood flows through me and their light shines wherever I go. And whenever my candles have melted and my flames go out, I’ll live on through the people whose lights I’ve lit, and so will they.

So this one is for Donna May Ulmer, Walter Edwin Ulmer, Frank Joseph Thomas, & Rosalind Marie Thomas: My Grandparents. They shine through all of my work, whether they like it or not.

LEGACY

Rotten things rot things. Rotten people rot people. Rotten thoughts rot your thoughts. Get out of the dirt. 

ROTTEN

Behind some of the biggest smiles on the strongest people you know, is someone who is suffocating. 

  
I recently had a conversation with someone who is always so positive and encouraging. But I decided to dig a little deeper than small talk and it turns out they are going through an extremely painful experience and in immense turmoil. I NEVER would have guessed, but just digging past the surface we got to talk. 

There are people who are within arms reach of your day to day that are hurting. Be patient with people, and be willing to dig deeper. They may not be ready to talk now, but they will know you are someone they can talk to when they are ready.

I’M GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? 

There’s a humility in starting something new. You feel unprepared and in over your head, so you start to research. 

Sometimes when I start researching and consuming information, this book leads to another book, but contradicts this podcast and this forum contradicts this YouTuber. 

After a while, we can become so obsessed with consuming information about how to achieve our goals that research becomes our only work. As we gain more & more knowledge we falsely feel as though we’re making so much progress when in reality we’ve never even picked up a shovel.

You’ll never feel ready. There will never be a “good” time to start. The first steps are always hard, but take action anyway.

TAKE ACTION

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Listen, I mean really listen to people. They are telling you exactly who they are. When their polished facade momentarily drops in moments of frustration, anger, when they are being called out, what’s been hidden inside comes to the surface. 

After you see it, you better believe it.

THE DEPTHS

I didn’t think the future would look like this. Right now there are more tools, opportunities, and resources for artists and creatives to craft ANYTHING their heart desires. When I was younger, cameras, editing software, and tutorials were very hard to get your hands on. Creating with technology was a luxury, where now it seems like a necessity. There is a wide open field to be a unique force bringing new thoughts and ideas to the table, but everyone seems more interested in “hopping on” the latest trend, relying on AI, or just straight up copying people creating this never ending scroll of sameness. You may find some momentary success replicating everyone in front of you, but what if there is even greater success out there for the things you're SUPPOSED to be bringing to this world. Don’t forfeit your purpose for a viral video and some followers. No one may get it, you may look like a naked fool running in a field, but you are 1 of 1 and I want to see YOU.

PURPOSE

I’ve always loved to write, but told myself I could never be an actual writer. My grammar knowledge isn’t up to par, I’m too direct, I have no flourish or nuance, & I’m bad at it. Now, no one ever told me this, but I felt like everyone saw it and if I wrote something this army of people would come out of the woodwork and burn me at the stake. So I’d beat myself up, tell myself I’m not good enough, and put myself on trial to be sacrificed because “they” won’t accept me. “They” will ridicule me. “They” will laugh at me and see me as a failure

But there is no they, it’s just me.

There is no angry mob, there are no “haters.” You hold the flame, and you can use it to burn yourself or as fuel to light the way forward.

BURN HIM

I always knew deep inside I had the ability to fly, to create magic. But my belief in the voices that said I couldn’t gave them power to tighten their ropes around me and hold me back from my true potential. Until slowly but surely I learned that just because you can hear the voices of doubt, doesn’t mean you have to believe them.

CAPTIVE

As global crises seem to be happening a dime a dozen these days, I find myself obsessively reading, refreshing, and consuming news as a way to feel some type of control over the world spiraling. Now there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be informed, BUT in all things moderation. Otherwise we can become the human form of an empty vase, only able to display whatever we shove into us.

INFORMED

The day after my Grandma died I was sharing with a friend how tough it was, they said, “Just don’t think about it.” As this unbearable weight was pressing down on me, they recommended I “just don’t think about it.” And while they meant well, it reminded me of all the other times in my life when I was carrying around heavy burdens and I was told to just not think about it. “You have so much going for you, you should be happy!” or “Next time you're anxious and your thoughts start to swirl, just stop thinking.” There are people traveling through life carrying around heaviness that they didn’t ask for. They would love to just not think about it, but it’s there. To everyone out there carrying a boulder, I’m sorry. It’s not fair, but keep fighting and find the right people in your life who don’t just brush you off, but are unafraid to roll up their sleeves and say “What can I do?”

JUST DON’T THINK ABOUT IT

Do you never want to be criticized? Hate failing? Sick of getting hurt? Well I have THE solution for you! Never take risks! Never taking risks is guaranteed to keep you safe and cozy right where you are. Trying new things is for suckers who are just asking to be ridiculed. Never taking risks couldn’t be easier: just never create or try anything new and settle down into the safest comfiest spot you can. It’s that easy! Just remember, that future project will never fail, if you just don’t start!

SAFETY BUBBLE

To everyone who has been held prisoner in your own brain by invisible darkness. When it’s held you back from the things you love, stolen your voice and your joy, created miles of distance between you and the people you love, made you feel alone and misunderstood. I see you. 

Never stop fighting.

  

PRISONER

“How? How is the year already halfway over?” I thought to myself “There is so much I want to accomplish this year and it's going by way too fast!” Panic sets in. “By the time my nephew graduates high school I’ll be an old man. If I don’t start making huge moves, I’ll die a failure. I’m already an old man, I should have had success in my early twenties. It’s already too late.”

So I panic and desperately start trying to find a way I can use EVERY second to my advantage. I get so focused only on how much time I have lost, and how to stop letting it slip through my fingers.

But… Time can’t be jarred and hoarded. Once the present moment passes it immediately becomes the past. And the more you focus on losing time, the more time you lose, desperately trying to capture and tame something that can never be caught. 

So instead I focus on how grateful I am for the time I have been given, and know that the only way to make the most of it is to treat each present moment like the gift it is.

TIME

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold, making the otherwise broken and useless piece of pottery even stronger and more beautiful than before.

I use to think of myself as a broken person, that good things in life weren’t for me because I was a cup that couldn’t hold water. But we aren’t ever broken, simply in need of repair. The repairing/healing process, although difficult, gives us opportunities and perspectives that we never would have had if we didn’t “break.” Those are the experiences that makes us stronger, more unique, and prepared for any future cracks.

BROKEN

Toxic words, thoughts, & lies seep in and start infecting me, and the longer I allow it the more the infection spreads. Pretty soon I’m not just infected, I’m contagious.

Not every thought you think is true, and some of the people you allow to whisper in your ear are poisoning you.

INFECTION

“I’m being a burden on them,” I say to myself as I go to cut off the people who genuinely care for me, so I can sink away alone down in the depths of my problems to protect myself from being abandoned.

BURDEN

When we think of growth we think of flourishing, thriving, increasing, but not many people talk about how ugly, messy, and the hard work it can be. 

In order for those new azaleas to grow the ground has to be prepared. Back breaking work of digging up old roots and rocks that would hinder the future growth. Tilling up the dirt with sweat dripping off your nose covered in grime. That’s how we get to see real growth & change. Hard raw honest conversations, vulnerability, realizations that I was actually the problem, digging deep and asking myself why I reacted so harshly. Yes, you still have to work after they are planted by watering and trimming them, but if you don’t do the grueling prep work, those azaleas won’t last.

GROWTH

I don’t think anyone was prepared to have the world at their fingertips. I find myself filling every down second with a swipe and a scroll. My biggest problem is I’m constantly killing my momentary boredom. Boredom is an unsung hero in my life. My best ideas and creative projects came to be because I was bored, but now I fill that with endless podcasts and extensive internet research into the Dyatlov Pass Incident. I won’t be throwing away my phone anytime soon, but I am trying to learn self control and be more mindful of the amount of time I spend aimlessly scrolling.

ADDICTION 

There are way too many people who are all talk. They constantly want to “pick your brain” and craft stories and promises with their tongues while their hands and feet are idle. They won’t ever be taking that trip, running that race, making that short film, or starting that business. They just want to rob you of your time and attention and slobber all over you. While we all at times have been more talk than action, look out for the ones who make a constant habit of it. People of action lead with their hands and have progress to show. And if you are a person of all talk, make one actionable step toward your goal, and stop slobbering on people.

TALK 

“‘For the gram’ he chants, as he pulls back his skull exposing his brain for the sacrifice . ‘Oh algorithm hear me! I give thee my heart, my brain, all of me. Maketh me viral. I give thee my music interests in exchange for trending audio. I get naked for thee, I dance for thee, I offer up content every day for thee. Shine your light upon me and bring forth the followers.”

FOR THE GRAM

 I suddenly inhale, deeply filling my lungs with air. I gasp for breath, “How long has it been?” I look at the clock. 1 hour. I’ve been scrolling through videos on social media for over an hour straight. I was supposed to be working, but I got sucked under… again. 

This is a friendly reminder to close the app down for a bit, take a breath. Technology is amazing, but it does place a higher burden of responsibility on us to practice discipline and not drown in it.

BREATHE

 No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t think of an idea for this month’s photo. Usually I’m trying to pick the best idea I have out of many. Three days ago, knowing I had to get it done before the end of the month, I still had nothing. So, I decided to start digging into why I couldn’t think, and after retracing my thoughts it hit me. I had killed my creativity, motivation, and general wellbeing by continually opening and consuming the dumpster fire that is social media. I knew what was waiting for me, but I kept coming back.

DEATH BY SCROLL

Words express how people want to present themselves. Actions are who people really are. Deviation between the two is just pure and simple manipulation no matter their intention.

LÜGEN

“They are on to me. This is the one where they realize I am not remotely qualified. They know I’m just a fraud, a child in my dad’s hand me down suit trying to pass myself off as a real person. Act casual, make no sudden movements, and maybe you can keep up the charade.” They say 70% of the population experiences Imposter Syndrome. It’s difficult to talk about when you work as a creative because part of your job is convincing people that you are the best person to do the job. So when the imposter in me creeps up from time to time, I embrace him, take off his mask, and remind him it’s a journey and there is no such thing as “making it,” so you don’t have fake it.

IMPOSTER

The horrendous things I say to myself/call myself I wouldn’t say to any other human being, no matter how much I disliked them. I’ve always been very aware that words can be weapons, but somehow my own thoughts slipped by. If a song played on repeat over and over eventually we would know the lyrics by heart, same goes for our thoughts. Negativity can become apart of our unconscious DNA and dictate our self worth.

While I personally may never become someone that fills my own head with self-hype (It’s not my vibe, I’m a realist) I have to cut out the negative chatter and constantly cutting myself down for simple mistakes. “We are all on the same team” has been the recent mantra in my brain space.

INNER VOICE

Be careful who you surround yourself with. The negativity that people blindly spew out sticks to you, whether you realize it or not.

  
Be careful what you say. The negativity that you blindly spew out sticks to the people around you, whether you realize it or not.

  
I enjoyed doing my series so much last year that I will be continuing to do a monthly photo. It won’t be a series that connects together, it will just be what’s on my mind that month.

NEGATIVITY

I can 100% guarantee you one thing in life, there will be opposition. If you are living and breathing, pursuing your passions and doing what you were put on this earth to do, you will face hardships & adversity. There will be giants, failures, doctor’s reports, past due notices, anxiety, heartbreak, & loss. There is no life hack. There is no way around them. They are coming. The question isn’t when will It get easier, it’s how can I get stronger and who’s by my side ready to fight with me when I feel like quitting.

So sharpen your swords, not out of fear, but anticipation that beyond the giant is your promised land.

GIANT SLAYER

“As the traveler began his journey, he came to the entrance of the path piled with the skeletons of travelers before him who saw how tough the journey was ahead and decided to wait for it too clear. They waited and waited for the ancient ones, Fear, Worry, Confusion, Doubt, & Loneliness, to clear the path, but they never leave and never sleep. So the travelers waited in comfort until they slowly rotted away. 

“Onward,” said the traveler as he took his first steps into the unknown.”

ONWARD

Isn’t it annoying when the people drowning around you keep splashing cold water on you?? I know you can’t breathe, but this coffee is hot, book is good, and I’m cozy.

COMFORT

You studied, learned, unlearned, and a light came on for you. You’re no longer in the dark, and even though the light is harsh you’re starting to see the world around you for what it really is and has been. Now What? I know turning on the light was challenging, but that isn’t the goal. Illumination and awarenesses is only the prep work so you can see and now start the ACTUAL WORK.

NOW WHAT?

Past mistakes and failures will always chase you, as long as you run from them. Mistakes from my past don’t just passively linger in my mind, they suddenly emerge from the shadows and come at me full speed claws ready to dig in. The problem is whenever I’m running from my past it dictates the direction of my future. Stopping to turn, face, and deal with my mistakes and failures is the only way to head in the direction I want. It’s not a one time thing, its more of an everyday thing, but I’m learning.

PAST MISTAKES

SAINT ANXIUS

At birth we’re given a knife. We learn to sharpen and use it over time. The thing about knives are if you stab someone whether accidentally or purposefully you can NEVER un-stab them. You can bandage the wound, apologize, pay their hospital bills, or give them a million gifts, but scars stay forever. 

One of the first things we’re taught as kids is to never run with sharp objects, they require a certain level of responsibility and control. So handle your knife with care it can kill, and like a scalpel it can save lives too.

WORDS

“You ever going to get married and get a real job?” Direct quote a man once asked me, who not 1 hour before told me about how miserable he was at his “real job” and how disappointing his life was. 

The pressure to join society’s normalcy can be overwhelming sometimes. BUT, there is only one of you. We each have unique abilities, perspectives, and gifts only we can bring to the world. The more we try to ”fit in” or ‘blend in” we deprive the world of us. 

I don’t need to be a part of the cutthroat messy rat race, I don’t have to “hustle” 24/7 to prove my worth to the world, and I won’t compare my race to someone else’s. I’m just going to keep doing me.

HUSTLE

There are so many things I want to achieve and become, but time takes it toll and life gets heavy & complicated & comfortable. In the past I’ve tried to move forward in my life without letting things go, but there is only so much room on the shelf. I step into this new year with my eyes forward on what I want to achieve, followed by a trail of the old. Leaving behind the bad and negative, but also letting go of some good things too that I can see becoming a crutch of comfort to my future. I’m not sure what’s next, but I’m ready for the adventure

FORWARD PROGRESS

1 brain, 1 goal, 2 opposing thoughts that will fight to the death for their way. 

SELF SABOTAGE

You invited it in to help out when your insecurities were getting the best of you, it’s since acquired lands and titles. Now your ego is slowly killing you. 

Simple Solution: Slip a little humility in its tea every day, and it’ll be dead in no time.

What do you do when the darkness is closing in? When its sticky hands are clawing to suck you back down?

You fight. 

Even on the days where it takes all you have for just a sliver of light on your fingertips, you fight.

FIGHT

Real talk: I’ve become a bit of a spoiled brat, and it took this year of everything I know as normal being stripped away from me to realize it. I’m so fortunate to live a very charmed and privileged life, and have taken so many amazing things in my life for granted while I’m always in the pursuit for more. So I decided I was going to start being more grateful, that I was going to work as hard as I could and force myself to be a thankful person. That didn’t work. I just started gripping things tighter and carrying around this heaviness of guilt that I’m not as thankful as I should be all while putting my focus on the things I wanted but didn’t have. 

I’m learning that gratitude is light, it’s not forceful. It’s shifting your mind to stop focusing on things you don’t have, but to be present in each moment with the blessings you do have. Easier said than done, but as always I’m on the journey.

GRATITUDE

Life is seasonal. People, places, & things come and go and even the best things in life are sometimes only meant for a moment. When a good thing comes into my life I hold onto it so tight, that when the season changes and the moment is dead and it’s time for me to move on, I stay. And there I am, surrounded by dead things wondering why my fire and passion is gone trying to re-spark the moment from fading embers. I’m not suppose to be there, I’ll never thrive in a dead environment, and no matter how good it once was or how hard I force it I have to move on.

CHANGE

I once submitted 3 pieces in a contest and won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd (humble brag), I was excited for about 20 minutes and then all I could think of were the mistakes I made in each one. I literally did the best one could do, but after 40 minutes had passed I was convinced that the judges obviously weren’t qualified because they made a huge mistake. Perfection is a thief that convinces you it’s helping you succeed, but drowns you with its unquenchable thirst. Happiness and satisfaction will forever be off in the distance. I have tons of projects that have never seen the light of day because they weren’t “perfect,” and I think often of how many opportunities I have missed because of it. The quest for perfection can stretch across many different areas of life, don’t let it drown you.

PERFECTION

There were many moments this year where it felt like the future that I have been working towards for a long time was vanishing and blowing away in the wind. The uncertainty about my future made me start to reevaluate and reprioritize what’s important in my life, and it made me question what I was doing and if it was all worth it.

But then I had a realization. I don’t have to always see the big picture. I don’t have to see the destination at the top of the ladder right now, all I need to focus on is the next rung in front of me. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when I’m only focused on the destination, but in this moment I’m choosing to focus and keep working on my next step knowing that the path will become clearer and clearer as I forge forward.

UNCERTAINTY

In my younger days I was a sprinter, and a mindset from that bled over into my life: if it hurts - push through, overwhelmed - suck it up, exhausted-too bad. While thats great for the short term sprint, long term it creates problems, and life is a marathon.

I am re-learning to be ok with retreating and recharging, and for me that is stepping into nature. Even just a short walk through the woods and I can feel the anxiety and negativity unravel off me and I leave feeling lighter. 

RECHARGE

GROUNDED

Metaverse, metahuman, metastasis: humankind careens toward a future of ecological collapse through overproduction, resource mismanagement, and waste, and these concepts are reflected in human-created digital realities. What are the principles of collapse in these digital spaces?

  
Metastasis is a Boston Cyberarts official selection for the Waveforms 2023 art occurrence at the Boston Museum of Science. It will be played on the OMNI, a domed IMAX screen, on July 13, 2023.

Metastasis

Gespaltenes Ich

Verführung

Traum Circus

Offenes Meer

Leidenschaft

Tag am Meer

Pain in the Ass

Sonnenuntergang 90er

Freibad

Mental States

Rucksack

Shadowboxin'

Common grape hyacinth

Vision

Mind

Garden

Le Sacre du Pretemps

We live in a world where we have neither secrets nor borders. Everyone has the right to express their opinion even if they are not asked about it. They tell you to be tolerant and patient. But maybe this is not the best strategy? What does this patience give us? And what does it take away? Think, please. Listen to your feelings ... Maybe they will tell you something important? Maybe you shouldn't put up with everything?

Sufferance

It seems to us that we are experiencing desire, lust, passion, or love. It seems to us that we have our own beliefs. We think that we are making our own plans for life, we are experiencing our feelings ... But inside us, there is a secret box of our subconscious. It is it that manages us.
All that can be done is to quietly observe this great magic hidden within us.

Big brother is looking inside you

Is it possible to be sublime, spiritual, and, at the same time, sexually aroused? Can you lust for what you pray? And does the object of your worship have to be crucified beforehand? And is it even worth praising someone and praying to him at all?
Take a look at this picture. What do you feel? What do you think? And, most importantly, why?

There is a rather vulgar expression: "Life is a dance." But this is exactly how it is. And we are truly alive only as long as we want to dance!
Michael Kaza reflected on the state of happiness he experiences when he is alone with himself. He turns on the music and starts moving. And these movements
- spontaneous, free and passionate movements that come from the depths of the soul. Real dance of the artist!
This picture is also a dance of the soul. The bird looks at you and asks: "Why aren't you dancing?"
Ask yourself this question when you are sad. And it will help you find what can be changed in your life to bring back joy and passion. Perhaps this painting by Michael will help you too.

Life is a crazy dance

The best couples are the unions of sadists and masochists. In these pairs, everyone has fun! The sadist happily tortures the partner. And the masochist enjoys the suffering that his partner inflicts on him.
At first glance, everyone is happy. But do we want to be in such a relationship? This is a difficult question.
If we begin to consider this issue more broadly, it becomes even more interesting. Indeed, in the place of one of the partners there may not be a person, but a group, social network, advertising, government or society as a whole.
How often we are happy to do something that kills us, stuns us or somehow harms us! But after all, someone sold us the idea of behaving this way and not otherwise!
This is what Michael Kaza thought about when created this picture. However, you will surely have your own associations, thoughts and conclusions. And this is the most important thing.

Pure joy for two

We love the word "together." This word reminds us of acceptance, support, friendship and love. But is it always good to be together? Or do something together? And is it really necessary to be together?
Michael Kaza drew a joint fall. This fall is swift and merciless. But the characters fly together. What for? Where to? Nobody knows.
Look at this idiotic smile of a male figure. He may be an optimist. Or a fool?
Do these two want to kill themselves? Or have a plan of salvation? We can only guess. Or wonder how the clouds do it in the picture.
But we may wonder if there is a person in our life for whom we will take a step into the abyss? And is it necessary to take this step?

Together

Michael Kaza painted this picture while thinking about breakups. It's always like losing a piece of your heart. It is sad. This is very painful. But parting and loss are poetical. One Michael's friend says that joy is very trivial and sadness and melancholy are exquisite feelings. Michael understands her. But he loves joy more. And in this picture, sadness and irony are mixed for the artist. And what do y

A quiet farewell and the light of a distant lighthouse

This story happened to a friend of Michael Kaza. This guy was dumped by his girlfriend.
Michael talked to his friend for a long time and tried to help him. But he was literally dying of melancholy and grief. Most of all, he was upset that his beloved joyfully began to build a new relationship immediately after breaking up.
It was this incident that inspired Michael to paint this picture. Some get sadness, others - joy. But life goes on. Is not it?
We all go through pain. It seems to us that life is over. We feel that nothing good will happen anymore. And then we accept the fact of loss. And we are opening up to new opportunities. Old tragedies no longer hurt us.
And ... what do you see here? What story is playing out in your imagination? This is the most important thing.


Sometimes beauty is unbearable

"Space Buoy" combines a portrait study from a Uniqlo ad with snapshots of the Oregon coast, and Portland Sidewalks. The flower petals on the sidewalk become stars at night, and the buoy takes on a planetary scale.

Painted in Procreate for iPad, composited in Sketch, printed on silk.

48" x 72"


For inquiries please contact: https://www.westwardgallery.com 

Space Buoy

"Syrian Brown Bear" by Michael Stewart and posted February 27, 2016.

Contact work:
Email: michaelstewart9202@gmail.com

- Don't use my photos for commercial services!
Copyright © 2016 By Michael Stewart

Syrian brown bear

Michael Goodrich

Youthful Folly, hexagram 4

In early March of this year I travelled to Sicily on holiday; the day after I arrived, Italy announced that it would become the first European country to enter a state of National lockdown in response to the growing COVID-19 pandemic. I carried with me ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ by László Krasznahorkai, a novel set in a small, unnamed Hungarian town where, from the beginning of the it is made clear that an ominous change is looming. The weather has been unseasonably cold, trains are becoming increasingly unreliable, menacing groups of people are collecting in public spaces, and, acting as a catalyst to chaos, a circus rolls into town advertising an exhibit of “the biggest whale in the world”. From here on out tensions rise, defence mechanisms are tested and any semblance of order the town’s inhabitants once found solace in begin to decay. 

Melancholy & Resistance

"All are punished" 220cmx180cm
The picture is an attempt to bring a complex historical situation to a single scene, which then turns out to be correspondingly complex. The general perplexity in the face of a new, an intangible threat. The title of the picture is borrowed from the quote from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The supposed and tragic end as a punishment from heaven for unbridled passion and eternal pursuit. Dramatic figures with their limited perspective. In this way doom becomes an inexplicable and unpredictable violence; In its unconditionality, man destroys himself in the inevitable conflict with the environment.

German:„Alle sind bestraft“
Das Bild ist der Versuch der Zuspitzung einer komplexen historischen Situation auf eine einzige Szene, die dann entsprechend vielschichtig ausfällt. Die allgemeinen Ratlosigkeit im Angesicht einer neuen, einer ungreifbaren Bedrohung. Der Titel des Bildes ist dem Zitat aus Shakespeares Romeo und Julia entliehen. Das vermeintliche und tragische Ende als Bestrafung des Himmels für ungezügelte Leidensschaft und dem ewigen Streben. Dramatische Figuren mit ihrer jeweils eingeschränkten Perspektive. Auf diese Weise wird das Schicksalsverhängnis zu einer unerklärlichen und unberechenbaren Gewalt; in ihrer Unbedingtheit zerstört sich der Mensch selbst im unvermeidbaren Konflikt mit der Umwelt. 




Alle sind bestraft

On the night of the #knownunknowns exhibition at The New Earth Art School space, in Peckham, a collaboration was agreed upon and, in spontaneous action; a painting began to form itself in the collective spirit of The New Earth Art Schools founding members, and close connections. Thank you to Sam Mead (Beg4Cred), Arizona (The Cat) Smith  and Ripsy May. Especially to Sam Mead for the incredible curry order post collab. A generous man in the midst of Peckham is a great treat.

This was the final show and live event that was possible before the COVID-19 Lockdown restrictions began to fall in place and so it's situation appears to hang in suspension over a bridge between gathering and isolation. A collective voice that shares its space with wrought balance and grounded peace.


New Earth Art School Collaboration

Large Art work( 180/95cm) from cancelled exhibition

Breaking

I’m interested in visual oppositions, particularly the tangible versus the intangible, the two-dimensional versus the three-dimensional, and the graphic versus the atmospheric. I’ve been working from flat silhouettes that I cut out and mount on highly reflective paper. I place these shapes in a context out of time and illuminate them with a single top light. I then create drawings from them, where the process can last several days pushing and pulling endless amounts of subtle information. 

Recent Shapes

Untitled (October) 

Digital Painting + Cinemagraph + Ambient Sound

Berlin, Germany's largest city, the gateway to Eastern Europe, was virtually reduced to rubble in a war that created the biggest refugee crisis of the 20th century.

75 years later as war continues to rage in Syria (the gateway country to the Middle East), it's largest city Aleppo has also been destroyed amidst a conflict that has so far created the biggest refugee crisis of the 21st century. 

Aleppo's citizens now live in the ruins of a ghost town. A town of rubble that has emerged from the aftermath of destruction where the enormous task of rebuilding Aleppo must now be addressed. 

My images use manual camera settings and post processing to create a set of eerie, pallid Berlin cityscapes to challenge the viewer into thinking about how the current Berlin,  that is now home for an exodus of Syrian refugees, now represents a parallel Aleppo which stands, functioning and un-destroyed. 

Add

AVA Knopfmanschetten

Opportunities

For Artists

ArtConnect

Support