Mychael Maier

Back-Torso + zoom	Epitaph + zoom	Motiff of Transcendence + zoom	Purtagory + zoom
Study for a Crucifixion + zoom	Tulips + zoom	Sunflowers + zoom	Premonition + zoom
Sensoria + zoom	Study for Flesh Tones + zoom	Untitled Male Figure + zoom	White Tulips + zoom

What is your artwork about (focus, theme, intent, etc.)?

My artwork is very strongly image based. A good, strong image is what’s most important to me. I have been fascinated with anatomy for years now and being a gay artist dealing with issues of identity, the male figure has been a prominent theme since art school. More importantly, the male body also provides a form on which to apply other interests in surface quality, tonal richness and so on.

Images such as Angels and Martyrs often appear in my paintings – this possibly due to the fact that I was born and raised Catholic. I was also acutely aware of my sexual orientation during this time and one could say that “Catholic Guilt” may account at least some of the darker of these images. My love of religious iconography however, probably stems more from an appreciation of all things theatrical and the feeling of transcendence that these works were meant to generate. Equally mysterious and evocative to me are flowers (where any guilt feelings can be tossed aside).Their aesthetic appeal is obvious. Flowers also feel anatomical to me and their organic physicality coupled with their delicate transience makes them ideal subject matter. In fact most of my work seems to be saying something about transience, transcendence, impermanence …that’s a Buddhist thing.

What informs your artwork or what are your influences?

After mentioning the flowers above, I have to say that I have a re-newed interest in Robert Mapplethorpe. He called his flowers “New York Flowers” and I like what that implies. Japanese woodcuts have had an appeal to me from the very beginning and I always go back to them when I feel unfocused or uninspired – in fact, the decorative arts in general have been very influential. It’s hard to be specific about influences because there’s so many… too many to say. I love Michelangelo, Frances Bacon, Jean Cocteau, Gustavo, Klimpt, Caravaggio, and Degas – to name a few. And of course there’s so many great people right here – here and now – in this city. Calgary has a lot of really wonderful artists and I am glad to know many of them personally and grateful for their imput and support.

What matters to you most about the work that you do?

What matters most to me is the emotional response from the viewer. Ideally the viewer will leave a show or a painting and be somehow transformed – even in a small way. I often have this kind of an aesthetic experience. I remember looking at a Matisse in New York and suddenly my eyes filled with tears – just out of the blue and for no reason than this painting made me feel such joy. Or looking at a Picasso in real life – they really get right under your skin… and stay with for a long time. Frances Bacon once said something like he wanted his paintings to act like ‘an assault on the views central nervous system”. I truly believe that art has the power to change the world.

Is there a trigger or a starting point for each piece?

I work from photos. I take hundreds and hundreds of photographs of models and flowers. I also collect photos from magazines and I spend a fair amount of time in libraries looking through catalogues, art history books and monograms. So a starting point for me is finding a photo that is appealing. I have some models that are particularly empathic to my aesthetic and it is easy for me to get started on something after a good photo shoot. I also have a favorite flower shop here in town that I visit regularly. Every once in a while they will get in some exotic breed or strangely colored flower and that can be a very strong trigger.

How has your work evolved over the last 5 years?

Well, in 1999, after working with conte and charcoal for 15 years, I dived right into oil paint. That was a dramatic change. I suppose over the years I’ve been in a process of fine tuning my technique, becoming more familiar and more comfortable with the medium. I love working with glazes but they’re very tricky…unpredictable. I suffer from the worst kind of perfectionism and I’m constantly striving to improve my work on a technical level – but I think it shows if you compare my recent work to work I did 5 years ago.

Now what I find most challenging is knowing when to stop painting and just leave a piece alone – just recognizing when something is “finished”.

How does your physical/geographical environment inform the work you do?

A friend of mine visited Rome last year on a 6 month artist’s grant. He said that where ever one looked there was something there to provide inspiration – a statue, a doorway, a fountain, a collosuim. I lived in NYC for a couple of years and it was a similar situation- inspiration in endless abundance. In fact the stimulation seems relentless and even manic at times, and it was actually difficult to get much work done, difficult to concentrate with all these wonderful distractions. These are great places to visit and “fill the well” so to speak. Calgary is a good place to paint without to much interference. I can actually concentrate here and I like the quiet. Of course the long dark winters can be difficult to bare. They’re so relentless and my work can become so dark at these times. I was glad when the spring came this year and we started seeing daylight again- as though a heavy veil had been lifted – I think that was one of the reasons I started doing these flower paintings.

I’ve also had a really great art community here in Calgary. I think much less cliquey than in other cities and its important to me to feel a degree of acceptance from our peers, or at least be around like – minded people, sensitive people who strive for a certain level of quality.

What mediums, techniques, or processes are involved in your art making (and why these)?

I once heard some art historian say something like “…oil paint was invented to paint flesh”. I paint in oils because of how well it lends itself to the rendering of human flesh.

It’s also a very forgiving medium that tolerates mistakes and overworking. I like that it dries slowly and it’s ability to create the most seductive blends. Deep, rich and varied tones are so central to my aesthetic. These affects can also be achieved with conte but through a much more rigorous process. I also love the effects of glazing – so sensual and seductive – but also fickle and unpredictable.

What are your other passions in life and how have these influenced your work?

I’m fascinated by eastern philosophies, particularly Buddhism, and that has influenced my work, indirectly. Actually it’s helped me not take my work so seriously, not to be so attached, not to identify so completely with it, or at least recognizing when I am doing so!

It’s also made me question the things we hold so dear – fame, money, reputation etc. and put these into perspective. It’s important to consider ones motivation in art making.

I also love reading about the lives of the artists “the letters of Tennessee Williams” had an especially profound effect on me at a time in my life that’s called mid – career.” He often talked about ‘making a religion of endurance” and this really struck me…the need to continue our creative journeys no matter where that path leads. He was a great admirer of Van Gogh whose focus was on the spiritual. Knowing that they had similar difficulties and sufferings and that they too were having a very human experience.

Why are you an artist?

That’s a very, very good question and I often wonder myself. It is a difficult path, no doubt about it. But for me I don’t think there is any other way. It’s so rewarding though, when I encounter someone who genuinely loves my work – someone whose really been moved. At times like these it seems worthwhile. That seems a bit lofty though. My being an artist probably has more to do with some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder – it doesn’t keep me out of trouble, out of harms way, if you know what I mean.