Ten Paintings
by Michael Twohig
Artist’s Statement
I started painting as a way to communicate to others, a bleak and pessimistic perception of humanity and reality. There are many complex aspects of survival and accomplishment that I do not have complete confidence in. Sometimes I feel as if I am ensnared in an existential abyss in which I have fleeting control. My artwork is one thing that keeps me grounded. I use my work as a way to organize and focus my destructive energy. I feel a drive to establish my existence in the form of abstract visions, which symbolize a chaotic reaction to the established blandness of popular culture and society. I come from a background of self-discipline and strong work ethic and use my work as a vehicle fueled by those attributes. As an artist, I strive to defend my integrity and extend the possibility of being able to excite and emotionally affect the viewer in a consistently desensitizing world, where everything is spelled out and spoon-fed in the name of convenience. I aim to produce images of intrigue, which stimulate the imagination and incite an emotional response, without providing mere shock value.
Mike Twohig