MICHAEL SELLMEYER(USA):
An interest in surface and shape irregularities has been the underlying continuum in my work. Over time, I have lost enthusiasm for any substantive content; my art has simply become optical entertainment. I don’t think this is a negative quality or a strange sect of the decorative arts, but an honest assessment of what attracts me.
Almost all of my art begins with me purposely limiting my control. I might start with a rock, a seedpod, crumpled paper; anything with which to share the responsibility of the first mark. By deflecting this step to an inanimate object, I can start a piece (or series), with only basic compositional ideas. Each time I use that same object, it is reincarnated in the new work. Painting and drawing on oddments, then computer scanning or tracing them are my usual techniques. This indirect approach causes me to see individual aspects of a thing, which I can exploit through exaggeration and repetition. It is not problematic if the viewer recognizes the initial subject unless it dominates the art or implies unwanted content. In such a situation, I continue my process of layering materials until hints of light, shadow, and texture are still evident, but so removed from the original context that even a common object becomes enigmatic.
What I learn from all of this play continually surprises me. Material accidents can rival anything I have carefully crafted, and when I juxtapose these unplanned visuals, purpose and importance become evident. I notice that intuition plays an important role as I create my work and also in the choice of objects I collect. I am still intrigued by what makes me pick up and keep what is normally discarded. There are rusted bolts and scraps of wood that I have possessed for years, but one particular day, those items will become irreplaceable tools.
Education
1990-1993 Master of Fine Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison
1986-1989 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design/Image Production, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO
1984-1986 Associate of Arts, East Central College, Union, MO
Employment
Associate Professor of Art, Montgomery College-Rockville Campus, Rockville MD
