Hotel Chair Painting

Heavily influenced by the various charms of Italy, Michael's work draws on his background as an architectural illustrator, where he worked for 12 years after leaving the Somerset College of Art. Mundane or commonplace subjects are viewed in a different or unexpected light. Recently he has been working on a series of ‘ombrellone’ paintings, depicting Italian beach umbrellas, playing with the shapes, colours and patterns. Chairs, their pattern, design and the shadows that they create present the perfect subject for his fascination with finding abstraction in everyday forms. His paintings are held in many private collections in the UK and in Europe. Also in public collections including Somerset Art Gallery Trust, Somerset CCC and the Somerset Cricket Museum. He lives and works at Blagdon Hill, near Taunton in Somerset.