MICHael DuMaS

“Innocence” Oil on Russian Birch, 9"x7"

‘‘Lunch Break’’ Oil on Russian birch, 8.5"x12.5" “The impulse to create comes to me in the unadorned living of life from day to day. In the simple act of being, I sense poetic and profound qualities. These often lay concealed within the nature of reality, hidden in plain sight by way of familiarity. And what is more familiar than a sense of the real? Our dreams shape themselves into realistic imagery. Our memories come to us in visual representation. A written story prompts graphic visions in its translation. Even emotion and imagination express themselves through recognizable likeness. I create by observing the feelings these observations prompt and the memories and dreams evoked in often unforeseen ways.

Drawing is the underlying tool that I rely on to flesh out both objects and the meaning they may hold for me. With so many of my subjects that are neither aware of nor care about my intentions, it is a discipline of the instant. Moments of direct observation often give way to memory and are only later enhanced further by way of supplementary reference. Even in the case of human models, a fleeting expression, or series of expressions, leave only incomplete sketches that hopefully will be resurrected more fully from recollection alone. This tension between a face-to-face reality, the difficulties it imposes, and the play of emotions that goes with it form a sort of cohesive thread that runs through sketched beginnings to painted ends. The continuity can be elusive at times, and the real danger is that it may never be regained again once lost. Cont. next page

“Faded Blue” Oil on Russian Birch, 9.75"x13.5" “Fox Sparrow Study” Graphite on Canvas, 16"x22"

“Officer's Boy / 1812” Oil on Russian Birch, 6"x8"

Every painting begins with an underlying drawing. It may be quite comprehensive in some areas or barely indicated in others. The question is one of being selective, emphasizing what was of particular interest in the real-life experience it is reflecting. There is a loose association between purely visual stimuli and the emotional impact that lingers long afterward. I tend to work slowly, building layers of thinly applied glazes, and in doing so, the flow of emotion and memory tends to remain uninterrupted from start to finish. If this continuity is disrupted or lost entirely by chance, a struggle ensues to regain it. There is a limit to just how wayward this straying off can be, a line beyond which there is no recovery. When success comes, it is most often measured by the harmonious balance between emotion and visual observation.”

“Sparrow's Rest” Oil on Russian Birch, 23"x10.25"

“Meeting Place” Graphite on Arches Watercolour Paper, 16"x20" “Thoughts Take Flight” Oil on Canvas, 16"x20" “Quiescence” Oil on Russian Birch, 8.5"x10.5"