From tusked cats and all-seeing ravens to anthropomorphic botanical elements and disembodied faces, Michael McGrath‘s eerie works nod to the symbol-rich, flat compositions of folk art or ‘naive’ painting. His mixed-media works combine materials such as graphite, oil paint and oil marker, ink and acrylic on various surfaces including wood, canvas and jute.
Inspired by the expansive scenes of contemporary artists Peter Doig And Mama Anderssonand self-taught artists Henry Darger (1892-1973) and William Hawkins (1895-1990), McGrath used a narrative approach in his own practice. “I decided to experiment with figures and storytelling in my paintings,” he tells Colossal. He also counts Jim Henson among his influences.
Populated with an array of characters, from trees with alarmed expressions to tiny, fairytale black creatures with bulbous wings and long legs, McGrath delves into mysterious, emotional stories with plots that are as enigmatic as they are supernatural.
The artist’s interest in painting stemmed from an early fascination with design, especially album covers and advertisements in magazines such as Play And Thrasher. “I never had the patience to develop classical skills, so I focused on dimensional and collage work for a while, until I finally decided to invest more time in painting,” he says.
McGrath’s work will be part of an online group show with IPaintMe, Light of handwhich opens on November 12. In February he will also have pieces on display in a group exhibition at Court Tree Collective in Brooklyn. Find more at his website And Instagram.
