M. Griesgraber: October - December, 2009 Our Featured Artist for the A.R.T. evolution - Thanks Mike!
Michael Griesgraber’s contemporary paintings explore the dynamic role of action in the creation process. He pushes brush strokes across the canvas to capture enthusiasm – and to beguile the viewer. The artist paints in groups, typically 10 to 15 works in a series, built around his theme of structure and color. Color is used to heighten or restrain the chaos of the arrangements. Some of Michael’s acrylic paintings convey abstract expressionism. Others incorporate an element of structure, such as the exploding beams of hue in his aptly named color series. His mysterious multi-colored square series picture a new landscape for a fragmented world.
After a twenty-year career in advertising in Los Angles, Michael relocated to Las Vegas in 2002 to paint full time. He served as president of the Minnesota Chapter of Artist’s Equity and spent three years as assistant design curator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. He earned his MFA from Syracuse University. Michael’s paintings have been in more than a hundred juried exhibitions across the country.
Juried Exhibitions include:
2009 Andrews Art Museum, Fall Exhibition, Andrews, NC 2008 10th Annual Abstraction International Art Exhibition, Upstream People Gallery, Omaha, NE
2008 Neo Action Abstraction Exhibition, Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art, Las Vegas, NV
2008 Ninth Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Upstream People Gallery, Omaha, NE
2007 Annual Juried International Art Exhibition, Upstream People Gallery, Omaha, NE 2007 Sacred Spaces, Juried Show, Left of Center Gallery, Las Vegas, NV
2007 Seven Deadly Sins, Juried Show, Fulton St. Gallery, Troy, New York
2006 Celebrating Life 2006 Bridge Gallery, Las Vegas, NV
2006 Contemporary Arts Collective, Juried Exhibition, Las Vegas, NV
2006 Celebrating Life 2007, Charleston Heights Community Center, Las Vegas, NV
2005 Contemporary Arts Collective, Juried Exhibition, Las Vegas, NV
2004 Contemporary Arts Collective, Annual Juried Show, Las Vegas, NV
2004 Annual Spring Fine Arts Exhibition, Mesquite Gallery, Mesquite, NV
2004 2004 Spring Juried Show, Midland Arts Association, Midland, TX
2003 YUM Show: Contemporary Arts Collective, Las Vegas, NV.
2003 Annual Juried Show, Las Vegas Museum of Art, Las Vegas, NV 2003 Route 66 Show, Brunz Rosowsky Gallery, Las Vegas, NV 2004
2002 Annual Aerial Gallery Exhibition, Las Vegas, NV
1982 Sky 82, Dakota County Fine Arts Society, Museum, MN
1976 American Bicentennial Metamorphose/One, Juried Show, St. Paul, MN
1975 Sky 75, Dakota County Fine Arts Society, Museum, MN
1975 Minnesota Annual Fine Arts Juried Show, St. Paul, MN
Awards include:
2007 Special Recognition Merit Award, Upstream People Gallery Show, Omaha, NE
2006 Honorable Mention - Painting, 2006 Celebration of Life Show, Las Vegas, NV
2004 Honorable Mention, Painting, Spring Juried Show, Mesquite, NV 2003 3rd Place - Mixed Media, Fall Juried Show, Las Vegas Museum of Art, NV 1982 First Place - Painting, Dakota County Fine Arts Society, MN 19763rd Place, Bicentennial Metamorphose Show St. Paul, MN 1975 Honorable Mention - Painting, Sky 75 Dakota County, MN 1975 First Place, Drawing Minnesota Fine Arts Exhibition, St. Paul, MN
