About Michael McEwan

"I primarily make paintings about the landscape. To obtain the visual facts I need, I make drawings, painted studies and photographs. I also make notes regarding the temporal factors and the affects they have on the landscape. All of these steps help keep the memory strong of the moment that moved me; the moment the landscape seemed transcendent.

Back in the studio I work out other formal elements of the painting: design, structure, color, scale and etc. For me, this is a time of great excitement (and often great frustration). I truly love working on paintings. The craft and mystery are challenging and a source of great satisfaction.

The visual facts are important and I feel should be presented in a way to have impact on the viewer. The process of painting for me is a way to take these facts and distill them into a harmonious whole. In a sense these paintings are meditations on the subject and I hope that they can serve as a source of meditation for the viewer as well."

"I primarily make paintings about the landscape. To obtain the visual facts I need, I make drawings, painted studies and photographs. I also make notes regarding the temporal factors and the affects they have on the landscape. All of these steps help keep the memory strong of the moment that moved me; the moment the landscape seemed transcendent. Back in the studio I work out other formal elements of the painting: design, structure, color, scale and etc. For me, this is a time of great excitement (and often great frustration). I truly love working on paintings. The craft and mystery are challenging and a source of great satisfaction. The visual facts are important and I feel should be presented in a way to have impact on the viewer. The process of painting for me is a way to take these facts and distill them into a harmonious whole. In a sense these paintings are meditations on the subject and I hope that they can serve as a source of meditation for the viewer as well."		PLEASE CONTACT THE ARTIST FOR PRICE AND AVAILABILITY OF PAINTINGS. Michael McEwan's beautiful and evocative color harmonies, rich and vital brushwork, subtle command of the nuances of light and sophisticated compositions distinguishes his art. His paintings and works on paper demonstrate his mastery and knowledge of painting -- its history, methods and materials. He is equally adept in a variety of media: oil, acrylic, watercolor and pastel. Michael's vibrant "bravura" paint handling and keen awareness of decorative geometric possibilities inherent in the picture plane link his work with the contemporary art world's emphasis on "mark-making," structure and abstractions. Yet his historic, traditional bond with nature and reality blend his art with the 19th century landscape tradition. Michael's subject matter remains principally of landscapes, namely: light-infused Ohio riverscapes, bucolic rural pastoral views, expansive marsh vistas along the Maryland shore. However, his paintings are evolving toward more muted tones, which nevertheless have a resonant vitality. The artist masterfully captures specific times and places, while transcending those depictions, to create visual poems about man's relationship with nature. Michael McEwan was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1956. He attended the renowned Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC beginning in 1974 and he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1978. Michael continued to live and paint the DC area until 1981 when he returned to Columbus to attend Graduate School at The Ohio State University. At the time the opportunities for exhibiting in Columbus were somewhat limited, nonetheless in 1984 Michael mounted his first solo exhibition in Columbus at the newly renovated First Avenue Office Space building. In 1986, Michael was given his first exhibition at the respected Keny and Johnson Gallery. In September of 2006, Michael will celebrate his 20th anniversary exhibiting with Keny Galleries. Michael's work has also been represented by the G.C. Lucas Gallery in Indianapolis, IN since 1997. Michael has participated in exhibitions such as: The Butler Institute of American Art "Midyear/Annual Exhibition," Youngstown, Ohio; "Realism Today," Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences, Evansville, Indiana; "Realism 90," and "Realism 92," Parkersburg Art Center, Parkersburg, West Virginia. Michael has had many solo exhibitions in institutions and galleries in Columbus, Zanesville, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Knoxville, and San Diego. Michael has also been involved in large-scale projects for two Catholic churches in the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio. From 1989 to 1991, Michael served as project artist for St. Brigid of Kildare Church, Dublin, Ohio where among other works he executed a large apse mural in the church's main sanctuary, and designed over 1200 sq. ft. of stained glass windows. In 1998, Michael's design work at St. Brigid's was granted the prestigious Bene Award by Ministry & Liturgy magazine. In 2004, Michael executed three large apse murals for St. Edward the Confessor Church in Granville, Ohio. Michael's work may be found in the permanent collections of the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, Schumacher Gallery, Capital University, Columbus, Ohio; Catholic Diocese of Columbus; Swope Museum of American Art, Terre Haute, Indiana; Elzay Gallery, Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio and over 500 private and corporate collections. Michael serves as Artist-in-Residence at Capital University where he also teaches painting and drawing classes.