MIKE PIGGOTT
MIKE PIGGOTT eat a cupcake in the woods
62 SOUTH GLENWOOD ST JACKSON HOLE WY TEL 307 733 0555 TAYLOEPIGGOTTGALLERY.COM
Cupcake, 2013 Oil on Canvas 10 x 10 in.
Two Stripes and Some Trees, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas 36 x 48 in.
Polka Dots, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 18 in.
Pink Frosting, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas 20 x 24 in.
Weigh In, 2014 Oil on Canvas 66 x 48 in.
Warm Fire, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas 18 x 22 in.
Snow Angel, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas 18 x 22 in.
Three Yellow Jackets, 2014 Oil on Canvas 66 x 48 in.
To the Woods, 2014 Oil on Canvas 20 x 72 in. (triptych)
Two Cupcakes, 2013 Oil on Canvas 12 x 14 in.
Another Place, 2014 Oil on Canvas 66 x 48 in.
Road Trip, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas 20 x 24 in.
Butter on a Blue Plate, 2014 Oil on Canvas 20 x 24 in.
Muffin, 2014 Oil on Canvas 18 x 18 in.
Coffee Cup & Blue Towel, 2014 Oil on Canvas 18 x 22 in.
MIKE PIGGOTT b. 1963, Charlottesville, Virginia
Mike Piggott finds resonance and beauty in the familiar. His paintings, anchored in the stuff of everyday, quietly capture moments in time that might otherwise go overlooked. Each composition speaks to the poetry and art of silence. Whether painting a still-life centering on a plated stick of butter or a dream-like perspective of lodge-pole pine trees, Mike Piggott’s work effuses a simplicity that begs for contemplation.
Piggott’s primary concerns are the formal aspects of painting, often painting the same thing over and over as if discovering his subjects anew, while focusing on constant experimentation with the technical aspects of color and composition. A colorist, Piggott uses his palette to inform the patterns, rhythms, and tone of the works. By creating very similar compositions Piggott explores how color can dramatically alter the mood and therefore interpretation of a piece.
Within every composition Piggott strives to remove the trace of the ego and create a work devoid of any evidence of the artist’s hand. In attempting to eliminate his presence, Mike Piggott hopes to create a painting that stands simply for itself. As Piggott puts it, “The only way a painting has to make sense is in and of itself.” .
His paintings, however well they stand alone, also raise questions: from whose perspective are we viewing these subjects? Why, even in those works containing groups of people, is there such an overwhelming sense of silence?
It is evident in Piggott’s still lifes that he remains fascinated by the solitary element. Focusing on a single subject that is often easily overlooked, he both elevates the object while drawing attention to its everyday unimportance. But it is more than composition that causes his works to ache with isolation, and it is this lingering quality makes it impossible to look away.
Mike Piggott was born in 1963, Charlottesville, VA. He received his BA at Virginia Commonwealth University and studied at the Winchester College of Art, Winchester, England. Mike Piggott has had numerous solo exhibitions at the Tayloe Piggott Gallery, Jackson, WY, the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center, Lynchburg, VA, and at the Neapolitan Gallery, Richmond, VA, and participated in various group exhibitions. Mike Piggott lives and works in Jackson, Wyoming and Victor, Idaho.