Artist's Statement

 

Michael StoryArt and music are rooted in my family history. My great uncle and grandmother were jazz musicians, and my grandfather, who was a professional artist, was my first teacher. From a very young age, I knew that I wanted to be an artist so I feel fortunate to have always been encouraged by my family to follow that dream. Starting as a sign painter, working summers during high school, I’ve never wavered from pursuing my goal. In the years since, I’ve followed a career path that has taken me down many roads. From designer to illustrator, portrait artist to landscape painter, I feel as though I’ve come full circle. And today I’m doing what I truly love.

Having lived in the South most of my adult life, I’ve learned the value of painting what I know. I’ve often found inspiration for my art by traveling the coastal waterways and interior vistas stretching from North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. I love exploring the interconnections where land and water meet. People want to be near water, both real and imagined, as it exudes a calm that seems magical. In the studio, that sense of calm often transcends the painting process when water is incorporated into the composition. Interpretations of clouds, trees, vegetation and grasses often find a place in my paintings, but their reflected colors and shapes in the surrounding waters interest me the most.