Michael Gorman

Michael Gorman Biography

Born five days before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Gorman has always associated
his birthday with this monumental event in history. To be born at the passing of an iconic figure gives
one a precarious sense of life, a constant reminder of how it will end, and a consequent passion to
make the bloody most of it!

He grew up in the mid-west, back and forth between Texas and Kansas. His mother was a self-taught
artist, a painter, in the style of Norman Rockwell; only better. Gorman sat at her knee and learned from
her unfettered version of the creative process. They would compete. Drawing the same subject, then
presenting their own picture to the family. Even at that age, from time to time young Gorman had
them fooled.

After a four-and-a-half year tour of duty as a cryptologist in the United States Navy (1983-1987), he
enrolled in the School of Architecture at the University of Kansas at Lawrence. He changed his major
to ‘Fine Art’ following a brush with death from boredom. Six semesters later, he was accepted into the
graduate painting program at the University of California at Berkeley. He received his Master’s Degree
in 1992.

Painting all the while, Gorman began to work as a set designer for motion pictures in Los Angeles in
1993. He currently has roughly 1,900 paintings in circulation in Los Angeles and around the world; in
addition to numerous prestigious One-Man Shows. He has three times received the Presidential Seal
of Approval for Artist of the Year.

Gorman is incapable of living a normal life. He is touched with the genius that breeds insanity, in a
world of his own and of his own making. He paints and draws in a frenzy, heart and hand bypassing
the brain to mark those exquisite, perfect lines on paper or canvas, a pure unmediated form of
communication. Whether he is painting simple figures or constructing a complex mixed media piece,
the urge to create, to express himself, is paramount, a necessity.

ARTIST STATEMENT
My philosophy is simple: I am an artist and a painter and no subject, no technique is off-limits in my
quest for self-expression. My influences are to be found anywhere and everywhere in the physical and
the metaphysical world. My work changes and evolves constantly; I have absolutely no preconceived
notions about what I will paint next. Anything that moves me, inspires me, is a fit subject for my art.

Not only is subject matter infinite, but so too is form. All of these independent variables are what keep
me driven to create art. The exploration of color and texture is integral to the process I have developed
and used over the years in my never-ending battle to conquer the act of composition.

I will not be constrained by received or traditional methods of applying material to a surface when the
work demands something new, some conventional boundary to be stretched – oil and water DO mix.
Sometimes a simple brushstroke will suffice; sometimes a dense collage of images and layers is
needed; the final result is always, I hope, an honest communication of my emotion and inspiration, a
profound dialogue between myself and the viewer, conducted in a language beyond words.

EXHIBITIONS
2017:
Art Market and Design Hampton. Bridgehampton, New York
Art, Antiques, and Jewelry. Palm Beach, Florida
Art, Antiques, and Jewelry.Naples, Florida
Art Boca Raton. Boca Raton, Florida
Art Market San Francisco. San Francisco, California
Cobra Fine Art. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Singapore Biennale
Sharjah Biennale

2016:
Affordable Art Fair New York. New York City, New York
Arts, Antiques, and Jewelry. New York City, New York
Scope Miami. Miami, Florida.
Red Dot Miami. Miami, Florida.
Art Palm Beach. Palm Beach, Florida
Singapore Biennale
Sharjah Biennale

2015:
Affordable Art Fair. New York City, New York
NY Palm Springs Fine Art Fair. Palm Springs, California
LA Art Show. Los Angeles, California

2014:
Houston Fine Art Fair. Houston,Texas
LA Art Show. Los Angeles, California

2013:
La Art Show. Los Angeles, California
Art Hamptons. Bridgehampton, New York
Art Sout Hampton. Southampton, New York
AAF Seattle. Seattle, Washington
Houston Art Fair. Houston, Texas

2012:
Toronto Art Fair. Toronto, Canada
Art Hamptons. Bridgehampton, New York
Art Market. San Francisco, California
LA Art Fair. Los Angeles, California

2011:
Red Dot. New York City, New York
La Art Fair. Los Angeles, California

2010:
The Art District. Santa Monica, California
Red Dot Miami. Miami, Florida
Art Basel. Miami , Florida

2009:
Kavachnina Gallery. Miami, Florida
Gallerie Wild. Zurich, Switzerland; Frankfurt, Germany