New paintings by Michael Hoffman

Michael Hoffman was born in 1965 in New York City. After relocating with his family to Washington state, he spent his teenage years clearing a six-acre plot of land with his family and building a seven-sided geodesic dome house. Hoffman studied film and photography in college, and after graduation he took his camera and, over a ten-year period, traveled extensively throughout Europe. While traveling he lived with, performed with, and documented circus performers and their communities. Michael draws on his eclectic past for inspiration. He is strongly influenced by his travels throughout Spain and France and rich colors and textures marked by time. His artwork is collected by individuals and corporations worldwide.

Says Hoffman of his work: "My paintings are meditative studies done with rich colors and bold graphic compositions. I try to create work that both captivates and calms. A common theme in my painting is the relationship between rigid linear form and the organic flow of nature. I believe inclusion of these two elements creates a certain universal harmony in many of my paintings."

"My pieces are also about the act of painting itself. I explore the physical nature of my materials and push to use unique and original methods of applying them. Many times there is strong evidence of my physical relationship to the canvas as I paint, using my body motion as a natural pendulum and the random arcs of my markings. Other works are done on wood panels that I coat with a plaster mixture and carve into before it sets. The geometrical markings bring to mind old nautical maps and celestial charts. I then apply multiple rounds of color washes (oil paints thinned with a clear oil-based polyurethane medium) giving the work a richly colored, almost glass-like surface. By virtue of the tactile painting surfaces and transparent and linear handling much of the process is revealed that can be traced chronologically. This leaves the paintings with a sense of history and 'archeology'."