Michael Coleman - Interview by KokoDiablo

The American Artists Gallery Interview 2/11/12

with Michael Coleman...

...on his art, preferred media, and sacred geometry.

by KokoDiablo, South West Regional Editor - The American Artists Gallery

Michael Coleman is an innovative and gifted professional artist. He has worked in the art industry for many years, as a graphic designer and illustrator, an art teacher, and a professional artist. His works show a talent and technique all his own. What a treat for me, as a novice artist, to interview Michael, and learn from such an experienced talent.

KokoDiablo: How long have you been an artist?

Michael Coleman: That is a hard one to pinpoint the start. I usually count it from the time I received my art degree in 1985. I have been interested in art since I had a great art teacher in 5th, 6th, and 7th grade at a catholic elementary in Kansas City, Missouri. I took art all 4 years of high school but was satisfied with very little of my artwork. The “message” I got back then (very early 70s) was “What are you going to do with an art degree”. After flunking out of college the first time I ended up in the US Air Force at the first part of the volunteer military in ’73. I studied drafting when I first went to college and architecture at LSU when I got out in ’77. After a couple years I went to work as draftsman for engineering companies for a few years but was miserable so I finally went back to college, with my GI Bill, and got a BFA from Louisiana Tech University when I was 32. My degree was in graphic design (pre-Macintosh) but I took more fine art classes (drawing and painting) than commercial art. I worked for over 10 years as a graphic designer and illustrator before moving to New Mexico and transitioning to a “fine artist” (painter). During all this whole time I drew, painted and work nights, weekends and holidays at home on developing a style and the technical aspects of painting.

Not long after moving to New Mexico I worked as a contract artist for a company call Opp Art Inc., in Albuquerque, working for many years with some amazing artist doing artwork for commercial clients all over the country, mainly in the restaurant and casino businesses. One our most interesting jobs was the Imus Ranch near Santa Fe, NM for the radio talk show host Don Imus. It was an almost 2 year contract job , taking 22 newly constructed buildings and doing faux finishes and custom painting to make them look like they had been there for a 100 years. We also did some murals, signage and faux rusted everything in sight. You can see my commercial artwork on my website if you wish. I know, a little shameless self-promotion but as an independent artist who else is going to do it for you?

After the recession of the early 2000s and the day that changed the world, Sept 11, 2001, all of our future contracts disappeared and in 2002 I was hired to teach the visual arts in a local high school. I had little teaching experience and no teaching license. I started night classes to get my teaching license and finished an MA in education from the College of Santa Fe while teaching art full time. I switched school districts in January of 2010 and I got caught up in district budget cutbacks in the arts that following May. I continued to paint during this teaching period, with artwork in some small local galleries and also did several local art shows. I also went to weekly figure drawing workshops during this time to further develop my painting and drawing skills. My wife and I decided to use this as an opportunity and I started doing my part time art business on a full time basis. It is hard in this economy right now but you just have to believe and keep working. That is the long answer to this question. In other words art is a life time journey, not just a class.

KD: You have shown us a lot of pieces in different mediums. What is your favorite?

MC: I have shown this group some of my more recent paintings which are based on two main concepts (except for the churches, balloons and drawings which are basically interoperating the beauty I see and trying to reproduce it in a realistic manner). I call these two concepts “Windows of Color” and “Sacred Geometry”, with elemental ideas from my Four Types of Art which was also posted in the group. Windows of Color, in short, is looking at realistic things, like landscape, figure and still life through abstract windows. I discovered Sacred Geometry over the years studying Gnosticism and the Knights Templars (one of my favorite subjects), this series started with the concept of “squaring the circle” but has taken me to areas I could not have imaged when it started. Both play with the concept of contrasting organic shapes with geometric abstractions and working with subjective color schemes to express the vibrancy of the oil painting medium.

The two mediums I have shown are pencil drawing and oil painting, I love them both but I think oil painting is my favorite.

KD: Why?

MC: I love all types of art and art history but as a two-dimensional artist I have always loved oil painting. The vibrancy of the color and the versatility of the medium allow for a variety of surface textures, soft blending, lost edges and sharper precision graphic edges. I have a brother that is a watercolor artist and says he doesn’t like oil painting because it is “like playing in colored mud” and that is one of the qualities I like about oil painting.

KDll us about your “Sacred Geometry” series.

MC: This is an ongoing series and I am still learning about the subject, which makes it exiting for me. I have always been interested in history, philosophy and religion (maybe that goes back to going to Catholic schools for elementary and high school, they don’t have middle or junior high schools) but looking for the “truth” and this reading and research has lead me to “Sacred Geometry”. As I mentioned above it was my long lasting interest in the Knights Templars which lead me to the discovery and discussions on Sacred Geometry. I’m not great with the math but I love the visual complexity and symbolism of the subject.

KD: Do you have any advice for those of us just starting out?

MC: Play! Have fun and try to make each piece you create a “little bit better” than the last one. Learn from the Masters, they are the best in their fields and that is the level of excellence you have to work towards if you are serious about Art. Don’t let the difference in the levels of achievement discourage you, use it as a motivator to achieve those levels and then go on to higher levels. No matter how good you are with your medium there is someone more accomplished with their artwork, it is a process or journey not a destination. As I said above, I believe that art is a way of life and a life time of learning, practicing and working, not just a class.

I do believe that it can be learned, creativity, design, and technique, but you also have to learn to “see” as an artist sees, and be patient with your work. A couple good beginning books on this subject is Betty Edwards “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” and “Drawing Basics” by Jacklyn St. Aubyn. I believe that drawing is the foundation of all mediums of Art. Learn to draw classically and then move to abstraction, like Picasso, who was classically trained and then abstracted shape and form with purpose.

Then find your “voice” (style and type of art that you are passionate about) and let it come from the heart, not just the mind alone. And after all this, don’t be afraid to experiment and change. Art is not only a way of life it is a process that is continually changing and growing.

KD: What is next for Michael Coleman?

MC: As always, learning, growing and getting better at my craft. I’m trying to learn more about the Visionary art movement, which is a modern off-shoot of Surrealism and their Mische Technique of painting. It is very labor intensive but I may give it a try.

But more immediate, [we're] waiting to see if our mural submission for the 1% for Art project will be accepted; every artist in town submitted I think, so we’ll see how that goes. I’m teaching a masters level class in Secondary Educational Methods at the University of Phoenix, Albuquerque campus in April with other art curriculum classes for education students coming in the near future. It is a adjunct position and a one night a week class for 6 weeks for graduate students, and 5 weeks for undergraduate.

Right now I’m finishing a donation painting for the POW-MIA balloon crew from Minnesota’s 6th District of the American Legion for their March fundraiser. I’m also starting to work on a landscape commission for a Grand Junction Colorado resident.

The biggest thing though is doing some new work for my solo exhibition in July. I will be the featured artist for the summer season at the Barnwell Memorial Garden & Art Center in downtown Shreveport. I will have around 50 original oil painting in their main gallery with giclee prints and art cards in their gift shop during the show. I will deliver the work the last week of June and I will hang the show which will open on July 1st for six weeks. I've been in many juried group shows but I’m excited about this because it is my first solo exhibition.

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