“Alchemy of Orbs”

By Mike Elsass

$1,495 each; $5,800 group of 4 (Freestanding)

Bio

Mike Elsass, known for painting on weathered steel, is both prolific and profound. He hangs his hat in Dayton, Ohio, though it’s a rare occasion to find him without it covering his head. The hat, covered in paint, has become somewhat of a trademark for him.

Mike paints–and lives–by the philosophy “brush before brain,” pushing people to embrace action before thought, and inspiring them to open their minds and engage with the unexpected. People get stuck in their own heads. Mike forces them out. He never knows what he is painting until it’s done, and it’s usually more about the journey than the result. Mike’s art celebrates imperfection, bringing together what’s typically abandoned and forgotten into breathtaking statement pieces that capture emotion through composition. Often using materials discarded as garbage, Mike uses things like tar, oil, grit, silicate sand and spent whiskey mash to intentionally deteriorate his pieces before blanketing them with layer upon layer of paint in various colors

No one knows better than Mike that it’s not the paint that makes the piece pretty, it’s the reality of what lies beneath it. If you spend any amount of time with him, you know a piece is never finished, and even an already purchased piece is in danger of evolving if left within reach too long. In this way, Mike’s work connects us all in unexpected, but energetic ways. Layer after layer, Mike is connecting those who have the means with those who need help, not in separate paintings, but the same.

Medium Steel - Paint/Lacquer

Dimensions 24" x 24" (Freestanding)

Styles 3-Dimensional Art