AM recently had the pleasure of visiting the Brooklyn studio of painter Michael Kagan as he prepares for his upcoming exhibition at Joshua Liner Gallery which opens April 3rd. Entitled Thunder in the Distance, this latest body of work continues his exploration of space aviation. Known for painting with oils, Kagan employs an impasto technique which utilizes thick and deliberate strokes. From upclose, the paintings seem to be almost coming apart, but take a few steps back and it appears to re-form tightly into a cohesive painting that almost seems to come alive.
In studio, Kagan reminded us of a cook in the middle of his kitchen, having multiple pieces brewing as he paints from one artwork to another allowing each to dry & cure. There was also a sense of artistic energy exploding from each piece as he chooses subjects pertaining to the extremes of human performance such as space travel to big wave surfing to F-1 racing.
Check out a detailed look at his studio below.
