For Michael Van Zeyl, painting is an engaging visual dialogue communicated in luminosity, shadow, and thoughtful balance of color and dimension. His work is a culmination of techniques honed over decades of both teaching and study, inspired by 17th century Dutch masters and late 19th century impressionists to create a style that’s equally timely and timeless.

ARTIST STATEMENT 

I'm currently working with figures and portraits with botanicals to explore our relationship with nature. Capturing the movement of the figure or an expression of a living soul presents endless possibilities and inspiration enabling me to blend with the beauty of nature. 

I've studied classical methods of oil painting with a focus on the 17th century Dutch Masters. The subjects I am drawn to are individuals with character, figures and floral arrangements with elegance and ethereal beauty. The reference for my work comes from my direct observation of natural day light in my north light studio illuminating and blanketing the form of my subjects.

I am fascinated and challenged by the process of transforming a flat, blank canvas into the illusion of dimensional form, atmosphere and mood. That process is usually well thought out but sometimes painted direct and use intuition to complete my idea. Both of these methods present challenges but each way fills the void of the other and opens up the possibility of new visual ideas to meet my objective.