landscape paintings

Landscape works are created from a combination of sources, memory, painting and drawing on site, and passages from my poetry. Many paintings are influenced by my Irish roots and love of nature on both sides of the Atlantic.

small works & en plein air paintings

This gallery shows smaller works and paintings done on site. These works often inform larger paintings.

abstract expressionist paintings

My abstract paintings are derived from my poetry. I work in series typically, this ongoing body of work is called "Wayfinding", which explores the synthesis of language, through poetry, visual art, music, and film., in collaboration with other artists. It’s a creative journey of seamless expression, storytelling, and emotional connectivity. This has been the foundation of solo exhibitions and an ongoing body of work.

poetry

Michael started writing poetry in the summer of 2020, during the pandemic. This new expression and exploration of the inner landscape and his relationship with nature have become the starting point for much of his painting. His poems use early memories of his native home and observations of nature and social and environmental topics. They are meditations on life as a heart attack survivor and the challenges of reinvention in the face of mortality in a rapidly changing dynamic world over the last six years.A Foray in Collaborative Forms of Expression.His work has expanded into different forms of artistic expression through collaborations with gifted composers and musicians and their interpretations of selected poems. The project is called Foray. This collaborative project pushes the boundaries of seamless expression and integrative works based on his poetry.The award-winning film below, created by Brandon Peterson, is the anchor poem in the ongoing and ever-evolving Wayfinding body of work.

wayfinding visual poem

background

an Irish artist in the American South

Michael survived a heart attack while cycling in June 2018. The trauma of that event led to his reevaluation of priorities and return to his passion for painting full-time.Michael's artistic practice is a unique blend of visual and poetic language. From his studio in Marietta, north of Atlanta, he delves into ongoing abstract conceptual works, a journey he embarked upon during the pandemic, lockdown, and isolation. In June 2020, he began writing poetry as a coping mechanism, drawing from childhood memories and his life in Ireland. This intense focus has birthed a practice that combines mark-making, visual expression, and storytelling, with his contemporary landscape paintings often reflecting themes from his writing.Michael's ongoing endeavor, 'wayfinding through visual and poetic language,' has been a remarkable success. In 2023, he held two large solo exhibitions of his work, which were well-received by the public and critics alike and marked a significant milestone in his artistic journey. His work has been shown in prestigious galleries in Ireland and England and sold to art collectors throughout the US, a testament to the universal appeal of his art.Michael's journey is a testament to the human spirit's capacity for reinvention. Born in Dublin in 1954, he graduated from the National College of Art & Design (NCAD) in 1975 and Birmingham Polytechnic with a postgraduate in Industrial Design Engineering in 1977. His successful career as an award-winning designer led him to the US in 1989, where he spent over 35 years in leadership positions in entrepreneurial companies in healthcare, science, technology, and professional services. His transition from the corporate world to the art world is a fascinating story of passion, resilience, and creativity.He has exhibited at Sol Art Gallery in Dublin, Ireland, Mason Fine Art Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia, and several regional and local galleries in the southeastern United States. In 2023, he had two large solo exhibitions of Wayfinding at Marietta Cobb Museum of Art in Marietta, Georgia, and Quinlan Visual Art Center in Gainesville, Georgia. His work is sold throughout the US.

artist statement

Working on a large scale provides another dimension for expression. As I progress there is a consolidation between landscape and abstract expressionism. I use a lot of texture in my work and feel a tactile quality and three-dimensionality in the surface with built-in layers of color; editing, removing, and adding elements is not unlike the process of poetry writing and finding the right words to express with the economy of language. The synthesis of language to connect and move "in all that's said in the unsaid."The seamless expression excites me, the search and expression of emotional connection with the viewer, providing just enough for the viewer to participate, interpret and engage in the work. I like to think I can draw the viewer into the paintings, and they discover interesting passages each time they engage with them, especially over time. I strive for consistency in my visual vocabulary, and I continue to extrapolate and explore as I progress in my obsession with the materiality of paint and its boundless possibilities.Below.
Harrison Cook, cellist, composer, and educator, performs his original compositions based on selected poems at my artist talk and poetry reading during my solo exhibition at The Quinlan Art Center, Gainsville, GA, Summer 2023.

previous works

The paintings below are selected works sold throughout the United States. Wooden stretcher bars and cradled wood panels are all handmade in-house and only the finest materials are used in all hand-stretched duck cotton, and Belgium linen canvases.

Interview on NPR affiliate WABE

Interview on Common Éire