We’d like to introduce you to Mike Ross, an artist partner whose vibrant piantings try to explain the way we understand the world and ourselves within it.
Mike shares his ideas of how the world changes according to our perceptions. Ideas bounce back and forth and the patterns they make can become confusing, confounding. Part of his work lies in organizing this confusion, building a path to view new ideas.
A LOOK INSIDE THE ARTIST’S STUDIO
What inspires you to make art?
“I always like Chuck Close’s comment on inspiration: “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work … All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself.” I believe it’s only in this way that the artist continues to evolve, and evolution is possibly the most important thing for the artist. If you’re repeating yourself needlessly, you need to reassess your calling in life.”
Who or what influences your style?
“The two artists that I admire are Charles McGee and Frank Stella. I appreciate their process and commitment.”
Some ideas I’ve been mining for 10 years or more; others will last a few weeks or months and they’re always overlapping.
Sum up your current art practice in one sentence.
“I use color palette and pattern (and pattern disruption) to create compositions that are at once enjoyable to the eye and stimulating to the brain.”
Do you create spontaneously or are you a planner?
“My ideal piece is something that I’ve dreamed up at some point or another, usually while driving, showering or sleeping … I’ll usually file that away in my brain until I get the chance to scribble it down (my studio is littered with little scraps of paper like this), and I then use that basic framework upon which to improvise. There’s really a full spectrum of that process though; Some pieces come to me fully formed, and some pieces start with nothing. Most fall somewhere in the middle.”
How do you see your work evolving and what new mediums or themes do you hope to explore?
“I keep doing what I’m doing and the ideas constantly evolve from one piece to the next. When I have an idea there are usually tons of variations of it; I generally will explore it until I feel satisfied that I’ve touched on most or at least some of its possibilities. Some ideas I’ve been mining for 10 years or more; others will last a few weeks or months and they’re always overlapping. Right now I’m deep in a large-scale multi-panel shaped canvas phase, while still exploring and evolving the color palette. Not sure what’s next but I’m always excited for the now and the immediate future of my work.”
Can you explain the different stages of your process?
“There’s the initial spark of the idea, then there’s the manual labor (complete with lots of swearing) that comes with building large, oddly-shaped canvases with weird angles that ultimately fit together, then there’s the not-as-small-as-it-should-be task of priming, then at last there’s the, to be hyperbolic but not untruthful, ecstasy of the actual painting.”
What life experiences have influenced your art the most?
“Going on the road with the Grateful Dead in my teens and early 20s, living in the desert in my mid-20s, playing in weird noisy art bands in my 30s, getting married in my mid-30s and currently raising a toddler while nearly 50. My approach to art has probably been most influenced by Captain Beefheart’s “Trout Mask Replica” and the mid-70s Sesame Street pinball sequence.”
Tell us something fun about you.
“I once talked to James Brown on the phone.”
Do you have a favorite tool or medium and if so, why is it your favorite?
“A small pointy paintbrush and oil paints. I love oils (it’s what I work with 97% of the time) because of their workability, slow drying time and mostly, richness of color. I work with a small paintbrush because I love the tiny details even within a huge painting.”
What famous person would you like to own your artwork?
“Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton.”
