The Everyday: Oil Paintings by Michael McSorley

Images of everyday objects will populate the Ventures for Michael McSorley’s show “The Everyday.” Michael’s oil paintings are a continuation of his childhood fascination with the visual world. As he has grown, his personality and outlook on life have matured, as has the way in which he perceives the everyday. Every subject has a spirit; there is a spark of the designer within it. In the process of painting something, Michael is respecting that fire of creativity, while giving the painting its own artistic force. His paintings show the passing of time, with the subject being painted and repainted. Changes occur and time lapses. He paints over the subject and makes changes. Prior elements of the subject may remain as a memory or shadow. The painting becomes active. The three shows in the Corkran, Tubbs, and Ventures galleries are on display from May 10 to June 9.

My paintings are a continuation of my childhood fascination with the visual world. At the age of 8, I was taking photos with an old film camera. My pictures of bicycle wheels, sewage pumps and other inane objects vexed my parents but predicted my future creative production. I developed a sensitivity for the mundane. Bored with school, I filled the margins of my notebooks, turning circles into spheres, creating 3 dimensional objects from any shape or printed word. Attributing personality and life to all subjects matured into an empathy for them which pervades my current work. Every subject has a spirit. There is a spark of the designer within it. In the process of painting something, I am respecting that fire of creativity, while giving the painting its own artistic force. My paintings show the passing of time. The subject is painted and repainted. Changes occur. Time lapses. I paint over the subject and make changes. Prior elements of the subject may remain as a memory or shadow. The painting becomes active. Through my process of scraping, wiping, and repainting the image, I find the life that the subject possesses. This creation, destruction, and evolution leads to the finished piece. The prior images may remain or be obscured, but the remnants are there. It is an analogy for life, scarred but surviving. My process has been augmented with color theory, atmosphere, edge quality and experimentation.  Sometimes the image is drawn using graphite and brushed around with thinner. The background color is blocked in, pulling the graphite into the paint, and using it to darken and tone down the edges. This layer is thin, and the ground of the board can reflect through. This increases the intensity of the color and by brushing, scraping, and rubbing, the color can be accented. I am constantly learning and experimenting with my paintings.

This exhibition is free and open to everyone during the regular gallery hours of Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday, noon to 4 pm.  

The Rehoboth Art League is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com. 

The Rehoboth Art League is a membership-based non-profit arts organization dedicated to teaching, preserving and inspiring the arts in the region. For additional information about this exhibit, the Art League, its classes, memberships, events and exhibitions, please visit the website at RehobothArtLeague.org or call 302.227.8408. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram @RehobothArtLeague.