Mike McSorley – Landscapes – Artist Portfolio Magazine

• Artist Portfolio Magazine – Landscapes Art Exhibition
• Mike McSorley – Washington D.C.

As a child, I filled the margins of my notebooks; turning circles into spheres, extruding words, creating 3 dimensional objects from any shape. At the age of 8, I was allowed to take some photos with an old camera. My photos of bicycle wheels, sewage pumps and other inane objects vexed my parents (film & developing was expensive), but predicted some of the art I now produce. My epiphany came in High School: Art was what I was meant to do.
My works reflect my interest in form. The original techniques of shading and extruding have been augmented with color theory, atmosphere, edge quality and experimentation. I apply the concept of form to the landscape, focusing on the forms that make up the scene.
First the image is drawn using graphite and brushed around with turpentine. The background is blocked in, pulling the graphite into the paint and using it to darken and tone down the edges. This layer is thin and the ground of the board is allowed to reflect back. This increases the intensity of the color and by brushing, scraping and rubbing; the color can be augmented. Sometimes the lines are still visible in the finished painting and at other times I redraw the edges with pencil to add strength.
I like to bring attention and importance to the common areas and objects around us.
Mike McSorley, 2016