PROFILE:
Painter, artist, engineer, founding member of the band Chain of Chaos. Born in Chicago, Michael lives and works in the Seattle-area following his passions of music, product engineering, technology, and art. Michael was exposed to painting at an early age. He first started painting at age 13, and attended weekend workshops at the Art Institute of Chicago for several years before studying under impressionist painter, Jo Ciulla, for 5 years where he established his style of impressionist painting. His influences include classic impressionists Monet, Homer, and Renoir.
Michael paints in oil media, with subject matter related mostly to landscapes and seascapes. Seascapes are his favorite subject to paint, as he constantly studies the dynamics of light, shadow, and atmosphere of the ocean, often painting plen aire style outdoors. Michael uses expressive brush strokes and pallet knife technique to create a world inspired by the Pacific Northwest coastline. He prefers cloudy and rainy days on the beach, and enjoys watching the ocean during storms. His paintings are in corporate collections and acquired by private collectors.
Artist Statement:
When I paint, I search from deep from within my soul to paint reflections of a moment in time, light and shadows, and how I feel on a given day. The rugged Pacific Northwest coast line provides inspiration, solitude, and solace that I need to be able to create every day.
Recent Exhibitions:
Schack Art Center, Shelton Civic Center, Northwind Arts, Gig Harbor Maritime Museum
© copyright: 2015, Michael P. Lanka. All rights reserved. No image may be reproduced without prior written permission.
Title: "January, Ocean Shores"
Media: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 24" high x 30" wide
Title: "Cannon Beach Misty Morning"
Media: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 18"high x 24" wide
Title: "Breaker Wave"
Media: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 16" high x 20" wide
Title: "Winter Breaker"
Media: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 11" high x 14" wide
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO ACQUIRE MICHAEL'S ART:
Title: "Cannon Beach at Dusk"
Media: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 24" high x 36" wide
Favorite Quotations:
"...existence is transitory — life is transitory. We are born and we die. And so this is it! It gives life both a melancholy and a sweet and joyful flavor…Any gesture we make consciously, be it artwork, a love affair, any food we cook, can be done with a kind of awareness of eternity, truthfulness…In portraiture, you have the fleeting moment to capture the image as it passes and before it dissolves…It captures the shadow of the moment."
- Allen Ginsberg, 1991 interview with Thomas Gladysz, From American Sentences, Paul E. Nelson (http://paulenelson.com/american-sentences-2/catching-the-shadow-of-the-moment/)
"Let me flow into the ocean,
Let me get back to the sea.
Let me be stormy and let me be calm,
Let the tide in, and set me free."
- 1973, Drowned, Lyrics by Pete Townsend from The Who, from the album Quadrophenia
Title: "Grey Whale Rising"
Media: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 24" high x 36" wide
