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Individual 12 Month Membership: $35.00
Couple's 12 Month Membership: $50.00
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Mesa Art League P.O. Box 7733 Mesa, AZ 85216US
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Member spotlight - November, 2021
Meet Michael Farmer
In his youth Michael was exposed to the surrealist painters Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali on a trip to the National Gallery in Washington D.C. He instantly fell in love. The imagery was so unusual, so powerful. He got a calendar of each artist in the gallery gift shop. From that point forward Michael collected every poster and book of the surrealists he could. When he picked up painting he knew he wanted to make artwork like the ones he had seen on that museum trip so long ago.
For Michael's 19th birthday his father gave him $100 and he went to the local art store and purchased everything he would need to teach himself oil painting. Using mostly what he remembered from years of watching Bob Ross on public television, and with some tips from beginning oil painting books Michael started his career in Art. He painted on and off while working full time in Customer Relations.
As Michael continued to paint he became interested in the Renaissance master Caravaggio. This led him to books describing the techniques of the Old Masters of western art. He adapted techniques he learned to the surrealist method of automatic painting. Michael would take dark earth tones in a thin wash and sketch intuitively on the blank canvas without a preconceived composition. He would then hone and develop these into shapes and figures, building dimensionality and volume. The results were paintings that existed somewhere between surrealism and abstraction.”
At a pivotal moment in 2015 Michael decided that it was time to devote more time and energy into his art so he went back to school. While pursuing a teaching certification in Art, he continues to paint in both abstraction and representational work. Since that point he has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions, garnering several jurors’ awards and entering into private collections in Phoenix, New York, Connecticut, and Ireland.
His most recent work is a departure from his traditional oil painting. After an inspirational moment, Michael had a concept for a series of assemblage artworks. Michael's current series of artworks focus on the intersection of society and technology.
He uses a background collage of printed Wikipedia articles that relate to the theme of the work.
"I add to that black acrylic paint reminiscent of the screen printing of the 1960's for a focal point of the work. Then, in a carefully conceived schematic, evocative of a circuit diagram I add gold tape and paint, vacuum tubes, computer punch cards, circuit boards, religious medals, crucifixes, and a variety of symbolic objects that relate to the specific subject of the individual artwork." The ideological motifs that motivate each artwork spring from his personal history and tie into larger cultural concerns.
He uses a background collage of printed Wikipedia articles that relate to the theme of the work.
"I add to that black acrylic paint reminiscent of the screen printing of the 1960's for a focal point of the work. Then, in a carefully conceived schematic, evocative of a circuit diagram I add gold tape and paint, vacuum tubes, computer punch cards, circuit boards, religious medals, crucifixes, and a variety of symbolic objects that relate to the specific subject of the individual artwork. The ideological motifs that motivate each artwork spring from his personal history and tie into larger cultural concerns."
This art series explores his perceptions of the spiritual and economic impact the digital revolution has on humanity. Through these artworks he views our emerging technocracy through a critical lens of philosophy and inequality.
"My website is www.michaelfarmerart.comto view current and past works."
Meet our Members...
Our Members are a diverse
group of Artists.
They range from professionals to amateurs, art teachers to beginners.
Our members create 2 dimensional art,
as well as, 3 dimensional art,
with media ranging from oil to inks,
glass to jewelry, ceramic to porcelain, metal art and so much more!
We say goodbye to longtime member Harry Harris
