Mike Welsh

I Was Born on a Saturday Night 2010 mixed medium sculpture 60 x 75 x 27 inches

Hang In There Baby #3 2010 graphite, ink and acrylic on paper 30 x 40 inches (eyes glow in the dark)

Untitled 2010 unique screen print, wax, glass, and ink on framed paper 9 1/2 x 12 each

Michael Welsh is an artist living and working in Portland Oregon

My work explores the world that we humans have created for ourselves, most specifically a world ripe with global warming, war, and an international recession. This most recent body of work addresses specifically the artificial and unstable nature of the factions of society who, faced with such insurmountable odds, have chosen to drop out. In many cases the lifespan of these groups is short and they are seldom able to enact lasting real change on the mainstream society they are claiming to reject. My work reflects the wasted energy, loss of innocence and personal experiences of these individuals.

In the case of my work, vibrant depictions of the leftovers of a culture dominated by hopelessness reflect the human waste, dark humor, and rampant sexual malaise of contemporary society. Paintings and sculptural objects experience this world in the way that the human body would, and therefore act as a stand in for the dire circumstances and eventual failure of this world to change its outcome.

The color spectrum that I am interested in using is selected for its artificiality and industrial quality. Spray paint, day glow and fluorescence are used to reflect a buildup and expenditure of energy through personal experience. Simultaneously, surface is used to denote physical action on behalf of this unseen population and the passage of time. Art objects and images are embedded with individual and collective experiences as a way to address real and personal questions.