artist's background:

           being an artist:

           my process - story behind my pictures:

           my inspiration:

           the artist's directions:

                    exploring the liminal:

                    images from the unconscious:

                    surreal themes - shapes & colors:

                 what I would like you to experience:

artist's background: 

Michaell Magrutsche was born in Vienna, Austria and grew up surrounded by the art and beauty of Europe. Michaell was exposed to Modern Art at an early age. Growing up in his home with its collection of art by his uncle, the famous Austrian painter, Adolf Frohner, and meeting his uncle's peers (i.e., Wolfgang Hutter, Arik Brauer, Ernst Fuchs, etc.) taught Michaell the power of Abstract.

“I moved to Southern California approximately 20 years ago at the age of 26.  After I was unable to locate artwork that appealed to me for my new home in 1994, I took up painting and fell in love with the process and the powerful results.”    

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being an artist: 

"As long as I can remember, I have been involved with art in one form or another; from being a disc jockey to producing fashion shows, to producing/directing international television programs, to screenwriting, and finally to creating music and paintings. Art forces me to focus on what is 'more real,’ such as beauty and nature. To me, creating art is my job. However, it is primarily a sacred process which continually gives me a greater insight into who and how I am.  My goal as an artist is to bring others a sense of joy and inspiration, similar to that which I experience with this 'soul food' called art."

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"My creative flow starts when something repeatedly triggers my imagination, in a way similar to that of a song you can't get out of your head, until I sit down and outline the basic shapes on canvas or paper.  I don’t usually begin painting until I later return to the outline.  I then refine it, make its design balance, until everything fits.  I know I am 'on track' when I step back and feel a sense of satisfaction because the image has turned out to be greater than I had originally imagined.

I don't have to look inside to discover my pictures. Over the years, I have learned to be patient and open up to my creativity, allowing my pictures to emerge.  I sometimes start a painting and it may take years to complete, such as my painting, 'Life.’  I usually paint three or more pictures at a time to keep the creative flow uninterrupted. 

I hold clarity, dynamics and truth in high regard. I attempt to be concise in conveying my inspirations. For this reason, I try to leave my personal life behind or at the psychiatrist's office.  A clear mind allows me to transfer only my purest inspirations onto canvas."

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“I am inspired when something different draws my attention.  Not different for deferent's sake, but different in being creative, or fresh in a new way.  Today, when I enter a room, I want to feel a painting.  I want its color and design to grab me, call me and seduce me into getting engaged in its content.  I love to get caught up in the inexplicable power of colors and shapes that evoke a range of emotions in me.  I prefer to paint in the abstract to explore an unknown content without boundaries. In addition, to start a dialog with the viewer, I sometimes place mundane objects into surreal settings because it captures interest and the mind wants to resolve the unknown.”    I prefer to paint in the abstract to explore an unknown content without boundaries. In addition, I sometimes place mundane objects into surreal settings because it captures my mind and interest. 

“I respect the efforts of representational artists, however, their work is limited since it cannot replicate the subject.  The greatest portrait can never capture the authenticity of the subject. “

Like most artists, the question of "What is art?" was continuously on Michaell's mind.  Michaell finally arrived at a definition that made the most sense to him.  "Art is what inspires," meaning uplifting and upbeat.  “I believe I am successful in creating art without catharsis, since my recent pieces were most uplifting even though my wife was battling cancer.”

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“I try to be as concise as possible in expressing my inspirations.  I believe a work of art must be capable of standing on its own, instead of creating the piece to fit a particular surrounding.  I love colors and find their vibrancy and unusual combinations emotionally most rewarding. "Over the years, Michaell’s work has evolved into three avenues of expression:  

              exploring the liminal:  Michaell's primary inspiration falls into the category, ’The Liminal - The Space In Between Abstract And Concrete.’ Typically, viewers are captured by the unique organic shapes and colors of these pieces, resulting in their search for either a concrete or an abstract image. One can often turn the  pictures in this group in any direction providing a different abstract (i.e., 'Jumpy,’ jumping from abstract to concrete).     

              images from the subconscious:  "I have to be in an open frame of mind, typically when I wake up in the middle of the night, to capture the flow of creativity which comes over me.  This category consists of ink drawings which I later complete in mixed media."