About Michael
Artistic
Journey
I have been interested in art since my mid-teens when introduced to painting by my college girlfriend, Judy. This was a whole new world to me and although it caught my interest, I did not pursue it. In my late 30's I discovered bronze casting through a good friend. The lost wax process being used fascinated me and by accident I started bronze sculpting which soon became a passion.
Life intervened and 30+ years passed with joy, breakups and tragedies, and it is only in the last few years that I have come back to this after finally remembering who I am.
If you're lucky, when you become lost and struggle to find your way back, you manage to return to a place that holds the memories that heal. You find yourself once again learning to fly.
I have always loved language, words, and humour.
With an overdeveloped sense of the absurd, dating to The Goon Show in the 50's. Humour and flights of the absurd have been my constant companion, even in my darkest moments, and there have been many.
In the last few years, I have begun writing down that which floods my mind.
The result is a tome in progress,
'I jumped in front of a train and my dog died - I didn't', subtitled 'Nigel'.
Artistic
Approach
With no formal art training, it has been a process of learning on the job, so to speak. There is no great message in the work, except perhaps the satisfaction of creating something I like. To pick one artist/sculptor, Auguste Rodin would be my choice. There is a full-size replica of The Gates of Hell in the grounds of Stanford University in Palo Alto. I first saw it as the sun rose, glistening in the dew. There are few such moments in life.
By comparison I am fiddling with plasticine.
My favourite author is J P Donlevy whom I discovered in my early 20's. The Ginger Man is still one of my favourite books.
