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Artistaday.com - Find new contemporary art, create your own gallery of art

Guest curator: Michael Shapcott  
Plainville, CT artist


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About Michael


Michael Shapcott was born on June 6, 1982 and grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. He studied Illustration for two years before switching to Fine Arts for the remainder of his studies at Paier College of Art in Hamden. Still in Connecticut, he has made a name for himself as a portrait painter.

Shapcott also produces videos documenting his process. He starts with highly detailed graphite drawing and then covers it bold washes of oil and acrylic. Being self-taught by experimentation also bolstered his confidence, says Shapcott, who credits his basic technique to his BFA studies but found he had to break away from these traditional methods to find a unique voice and style—one he continues to develops today.


Michael's selections


Brad Kunkle

Brooklyn, NY

"

I just like how I feel when I look at one of Brad's paintings. The muted skintones and landscapes contrast beautifully with the movement and pop in the gold leaf he so gracefully uses. His work takes me to a timeless, romantic place where the wind is always blowing and the figures are always swept up.

"

Andrew Hem

Los Angeles, CA

"

I really admire Andrew's evolution from his graffiti roots into his figure painting present. The control he has over his work, his overt use of blue, the energy and movement in his paint lines, the exaggerated limbs on his figures, and his realistic landscapes are all qualities I find really intriguing. Andrew's work is illustrative and yet his somber, cool environments slap reality in my face and make me believe that the places he paints are personal and really exist.

"

Lindsey Carr

Glasgow, Scotland

"

When I first saw Lindsey's work, I got really excited about what she was doing, which is very much reviving and re-imagining the golden age of natural history illustration. With paintings that resemble relics or pages from an old and treasured book, Lindsey invents and documents her plants and animals in a beautifully thoughtful and courageously imaginative way. The focus and dedication she has for honing and improving her craft is inspirational and I so enjoy viewing her continuing work.

"

Aron Wiesenfeld

San Diego, CA

"

There's something about Aron's work that is profoundly haunting. His images stay with me far after I've turned my gaze from them. I am incredibly drawn to the feelings of isolation present in his work and often find myself making up stories for each piece, like trying to recreate a childhood memory or feeling of nostalgia within myself. That beautiful sadness overtakes me in a wonderful way.

"

Casey Weldon

Brooklyn, NY

"

Not only have I been a fan of Casey's work for a long time but I've recently had the privilege of collaborating on a piece with him. I am very visually taken by his work but more than that I admire Casey's intelligence, wit, and ability to take an idea or current observation and turn it into a visual narrative. I enjoy the sense of humor and commentary he portrays in paintings that reference pop culture but what really gets to me is the work where the light-hearted turns a little more serious. In those pieces, he seemingly so easily infuses a melancholy and longing for change. He kind of walks the line between light and dark, funny and serious, cute and grotesque. The freedom and balance of expression he is able to display between the two polarities just works.

"


Check out some other great guest curators


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Liz Stinson

Writer, WIRED Design

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Miranda McKee

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Rabarama

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Christopher Jobson

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