My interest in art goes back to my early childhood, when I would spend my summers, sketchbook in hand, drawing in the sunshine instead of participating in other activities. As I grew up, I also became fascinated with science, and, having an engineer for a father, this was encouraged over my affinity for art in selecting an educational path. While working towards my Honours BSc. in Chemistry at Carleton University I took two courses in Art History, during which time my interest in art experienced a Renaissance, so to speak.
I have since travelled to Europe on several occasions to explore first hand, the art treasures, that I had been introduced to, determined to devote myself to the study and practice of art. I have since received my Masters in Art History from the University of Victoria, and PhD at the University of British Columbia specializing in Venetian art and architecture of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
I feel that my work reflects disparate aspects of my personality: the precision of a scientific background, contrasted with the playfulness of my inner child. My career in Art History allows my work to continually evolve as I explore new techniques and am constantly inspired by fresh perspectives on how to view the world.
Artists that have inspired me include Spanish Still-Life painter Francisco de Zurbarán, the Venetian painter Paolo Veronese, and modern surrealists, Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte. My scientific and playful sides are fascinated by surrealism, yet my skeptical side is drawn toward realism in an attempt to challenge ideas of truth.
Recently I have become fascinated with language and the categorizations it creates and I am finding new ways to express how to deconstruct these labels through the medium of paint.
Recently I have become fascinated with language and the categorizations it creates and I am finding new ways to express how to deconstruct these labels through the medium of paint.
Michael Coughlin