Interview with Michael Pfleghaar, Still Lifes Between Realism and Abstraction

“My artistic style lies somewhere amongst abstraction and realism with colourist sensibility.”

By Increase Art | 21 Sept 2022

Michael Pfleghaar has a short while ago joined Increase Art, bringing his Hockneyesque Nevertheless Lifes works to the system. Michael is an illustrator, painter and ceramicist. Exploring components of self-reflection and materiality, the artist applies flat space, basic, thoroughly clean traces, and balanced nevertheless bold colors to his works, results in archaeological dialogues concerning scenes, configurations, and objects.

Michael applying underglaze to some new greenware ceramic sculptures (@pfleghaar)

 

How would you describe your artistic style?

My artistic design lies someplace between abstraction and realism with colourist sensibility. My purpose is to blend the two opposing artistic variations into a one of a kind visible language characterised by flattened house and exaggerated color. Fashionable style is also an impact in my do the job as it would seem to abide by a equivalent visible aesthetic and content for subject make any difference.

Sound Liquid Glass, 2019, by Michael Pfleghaar

 

What messages or themes do you want to talk with your do the job?

The major concept in my do the job is associations. Objects and crops depicted in my compositions turn into the surrogates for the figure and how they relate to just about every other visually and symbolically.

Wire Plant Stand, 2019, by Michael Pfleghaar

 

How has your observe evolved around the a long time? Have you usually worked in an summary style?

Above the years my art practice has diversified from dark figurative narratives in my undergraduate reports to private interior areas and still everyday living. In graduate university my operate evolved to completely non-goal while working with the similar themes of associations. I have given that come back again to realism drawing from lifestyle as an autobiographical instrument even though combining elements of abstraction.

Michael operating on a property task at property (@pfleghaar)

 

What’s an common working day like in your studio? 

I see myself as an artwork employee so my studio exercise is precedence. On a typical day I get there around 9am and operate on different paintings at the same time. Generally a person substantial scale piece on canvas and a number of drawings. I delight in creating in series as properly, checking out themes as a result of a system of do the job. Afternoons are spent carrying out the organization side of art, documenting work, updating sites, applying for exhibits, and so on.

Monstera Shadows 1, 2021, by Michael Pfleghaar

 

What/Who are your crucial influences?

My influences range from outdated school painters these as Henri Matisse and Pierre Bonnard. Contemporaries like David Hockney, Jonas Wood, Paul Wackers, Nathalie du Pasquier, Carrie Moyer, Amy Sillman and modernist designers this sort of as Ettore Sottsass, Charles and Ray Eames, and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

Agave at Night, 2021, by Michael Pfleghaar

 

Who are some Rise Artwork artists with work you happen to be making the most of at the second?

Lisa Kellner went to the identical Graduate University in Boston as I, so I enjoy and observed her perform on Increase Art.

Dim Botanical 4, 2022, by Michael Pfleghaar

 

Are you at present performing on any enjoyable new assignments?

This 12 months has been a active a single in the studio with a lot of fee paintings and obtaining back into clay developing a overall body of botanical encouraged ceramic objects.