Michael Milczarek

Without a formal art education, I took workshops, viewed demonstrations both live and on-line, went to exhibits and talked with other painters. In combination with trial and error, my style of painting has developed.

I take a lot of photographs – often in both color and black and white. The photographs provide the structure for the painting. I saw something when I took the photograph – it might have been the shadowing, a haze at the horizon, or the intersections of the topography. That’s what I’m trying to capture. Every day brings a certain atmosphere – hot and sunny, or cold and dreary. I want to get that feeling in the painting. Walking through the woods, when its 3:30 on a November afternoon and its starting to snow is not going to make a cheery painting. But it’s probably my favorite atmosphere for using ochres, greys, browns, and blues.

Many of my paintings are literally a view from my car. Take out the street signs, lights, buildings, and asphalt and there are actually some interesting landscapes. And while I may go to a specific location for reference, I’m not driving to a destination specifically to paint.