SURRENDER
Michael Anderson

April 26 - June 11, 2023

Rochester artist Michael Anderson presents Surrender, an exhibition of abstract paintings which create visual spaces for meditation, contemplation, and reflection.

ARTIST RECEPTION
Thursday, May 4 | 5:00 -7:00 pm

Join us as we celebrate Michael with a gallery reception, May 4 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm with remarks from the artist at approximately 6:00 pm. Admission is free, and all are welcome. Light refreshments are provided. Advance registration is appreciated.

REGISTER FOR THE RECEPTION

Additional paintings from this series are on view at Cafe Steam (315 South Broadway) and at the Historic Chateau Theatre on Peace Plaza.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have always been an abstract painter and have been working with acrylics for most of my life. The more time I spend painting, however, the less information I want to give the viewer. In this series, I have given up trying to create a narrative. My goal is to create visual spaces for meditation, contemplation, and reflection. I have avoided recognizable objects and shapes, instead using fields of color, organic shapes, and randomness in tension with limited choices to create these compositions. 

The inspiration first came from studying the New York School abstract expressionists, particularly Helen Frankenthaler. They embraced automatism and painting as an act of discovery. While their styles varied, many of them allowed the act of painting to become visible in their work. Brush strokes, drips of paint, and raw canvas became the art.

The idea of surrender is meant to help me focus on the materiality of painting. In each piece, you will see the paint and canvas clearly. The paint will be thin in some areas and very thick in others, even squeezed directly from the tube. The canvas is thinly washed with color in places and in other areas, it will be raw; untouched. The goal is to remove any sense of illusion. The paint is paint. The canvas is canvas.

Each painting is a tension between accident and discipline (Fritz Scholder). There is randomness in each work. The paint has flowed and dripped on its own. There are some places, where it didn’t mix well or went on a little too thick. There is also discipline in each painting. After the randomness of the wash background, I add as little as possible to complete the work. Again, I surrender to what the painting is, instead of pushing it into something I want it to be. 

The idea of surrender for the audience is a plea. As you view the work, I ask you to surrender to the materiality of each painting, as I have. Simply appreciate the paint, brushstroke, and canvas as is. We are in a time of great upheaval. Everything is being reevaluated, rethought, and questioned. This causes anxiety. While this is understandable, we need to surrender to our time and avoid nostalgia. Even though we might not understand where we are headed, it is important to assume, and work toward, a better future. I hope these paintings can be a place for the type of meditation and reflection that will bring us a positive view of our present. 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Michael Anderson graduated with a degree in studio art and a teaching license from the University of Minnesota, Morris. Since settling in Rochester in 2015, he has been rededicated to pursuing art as a career. After 5 years of exploring the possibilities of oil pastels, Michael is back to his first love of painting. “My goal is to strip my work of all that is nonessential and remove any sense of illusion. Color, value, line, and mark are enough to evoke emotion and tell a story.

Exhibitions, Memberships, and Grants:

• Art-A-Whirl/ NE  Minneapolis- 2004, 2005

• Exhibiting Member SEMVA: August 2019- January 2020

• Exhibiting Member, Secretary, Vice-President, Gallery 24: October 2019 - September 2023

• 125 Live Group Exhibition, August 2020

• SEMAC Emerging Artist Grant Recipient, March 2020

• Member Threshold Arts, February 2021 - present

• Exhibition: The Space Between Us, March 2021 Threshold Arts, Rochester, MN

• Exhibition Curator: Wild Ones - Local Abstracts, April 2021 and April 2022, Gallery 24

• SEMAC Emerging Artist Grant Recipient, July 2022