Michael McEwan's beautiful and evocative color harmonies, rich and vital brushwork, subtle command of the nuances of light, and sophisticated compositions distinguish his art. His paintings and works on paper demonstrate his mastery and knowledge of painting -- its history, methods and materials. He is equally adept in a variety of media: oil, acrylic, watercolor and pastel.
Michael's vibrant "bravura" paint handling and keen awareness of decorative geometric possibilities inherent in the picture plane link his work with the contemporary art world's emphasis on "mark-making," structure and abstractions. Yet his historic, traditional bond with nature and reality blend his art with the 19th century landscape tradition.
Michael's subject matter remains principally of landscapes, namely: light-infused Ohio riverscapes, bucolic rural pastoral views, expansive marsh vistas along the Maryland shore. However, his paintings are evolving toward more muted tones, which nevertheless have a resonant vitality. The artist masterfully captures specific times and places, while transcending those depictions, to create visual poems about man's relationship with nature.
Michael has participated in exhibitions such as: The Butler Institute of American Art "Midyear/Annual Exhibition," Youngstown, Ohio; "Realism Today," Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences, Evansville, Indiana; "Realism 90," and "Realism 92," Parkersburg Art Center, Parkersburg, West Virginia. Michael has had many solo exhibitions in institutions and galleries in Columbus, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Knoxville, San Diego, etc.
Michael served as project artist for St. Brigid of Kildare Church, Dublin, Ohio where among other works he executed a large apse mural in the church's main sanctuary, and designed over 1200 sq. ft. of stained glass windows.
Michael's work may be found in the permanent collections of the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, Schumacher Gallery, Capital University, Columbus, Ohio; Catholic Diocese of Columbus; Swope Museum of American Art, Terre Haute, Indiana; Elzay Gallery, Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio and over 400 private and corporate Collections. Since 1986 the Keny Galleries has exclusively represented McEwan in Ohio.
Michael retains his Artist-in-Residence position at Capital University while teaching painting classes. Recently, he completed a commissioned monumental portrait in oil, The Young Martin Luther, for the permanent collection of Capital University. Twelve of his large panoramic landscapes will be featured in a one-person exhibition at the Columbus Cultural Art Center late next fall.
Review of September, 2006
Exhibition:
EXHIBIT
KENY GALLERIES
Color
Infuses Scenes
Sunday,
October 08, 2006
by Christopher A . Yates
FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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Twilight Rose Garden
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For 20 years, Michael McEwan has shown his work at Keny Galleries
— through a relationship that has helped establish him as one of the leading
landscape artists in central Ohio.
In his latest exhibit, he reinvestigates familiar subjects:
gardens, flowers, farms and rivers. And he presents a new landscape series
produced during recent travel to the Tuscany region of Italy.
McEwan’s Ohio landscapes have expansive skies and an
impressionistic feel. But pinning him down to one artistic influence is
difficult: The focus of each painting shifts.
Sometimes, intuitive color is most important; other times, rich
mark-making is. Sometimes his subject is panoramic; and other times, closed and
cropped. Consistently, though, McEwan draws attention to dramatic light or
subtle atmospheric effects.
He seems more engaged in smaller paintings, maintaining
observational clarity and a visual intimacy with place. The larger works are
often dramatic but lack subtle changes of color.
Among the exceptional pieces is Creek in Old Pasture, Early
Spring — which shows the artist’s sensitivity to light, color and temporal
moments. In the distance, sunlight has broken through the clouds, illuminating
the red-orange roof of a barn. Energetic brushstrokes lead the eye along a
foreground creek toward the background space. The surface satisfyingly mixes
thick and thin, dark and light. The painting is a complete statement.
Similarly, Twilight Rose Garden (painted with a darktoned ground)
records the moment when light begins to fade and garden forms become mysterious.
Golden River is a color study of warm versus cool, chromatic
versus neutral and soft-edge versus hardedge.
The quiet pace and clarity of observation in Tuscan Sundown
suggests an artist in unfamiliar surroundings. The paint application is slow and
careful. Subtle shifts of yellow, green and violet produce a distinct light and
space. Clearly the painting is not from Ohio.
Time and again, McEwan has demonstrated an ability to paint the
Ohio landscape, mastering changes of season, times of day, weather conditions
and varied subjects — but his work in Italy suggests untapped possibilities.
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