Daily Inspiration: Meet Mike Ross

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Ross.  

Mike, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
After studying painting in college, I mostly left it alone for about ten years while I focused most of my creativity on music. Around 15 years ago, I decided I had more to say with painting again, and it quickly came to the forefront of my creative life. Lots of perseverance and constant evolution, and now – along with lately running a gallery – it’s all I do. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest obstacle is usually yourself, haha. Honestly, some of the best things to happen to me were getting let go of various jobs, which provided me the somewhat forced leap of faith to make art my sole gig. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work at this point has evolved into a combination of sculpture/woodworking and (mostly) painting. I’ve been painting abstract forms for years, and in the past, I’ve dabbled with working with differently-shaped panels and canvases; lots of trial & error has led me to a method of building the shaped panels that most suit my work. The general idea is to have the shape of the panel echo (and just as often juxtapose) the forms that are happening in the painting and vice-versa. When people see my work, I want them to think about the forms in the world around them and how seemingly unrelated facets of that world can affect the ways we perceive things. I’m probably most known for the patterns in my work; though my work has changed a lot over the years, I think it’s still always recognizable to the people who know it. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Art is extreme self-expression; anything less, I think, is an insult to the people who come to see your work. 

As far as curating shows, I like to hearken back to my old art-punk band days, where I’d organize festivals and put bills together that might seem odd at first glance but ultimately make some kind of beautiful sense. Likewise, I like to put artists together in a show where something about the spirit of their work speaks to each other, though in terms of style/look/technique, etc., they are seemingly disparate. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mrossart.com
• Instagram: @m_ross_41
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.ross.587/

Image Credits
CJ Benninger