Interview

Feb 2

Michael Pierce

Mike is a contemporary painter. He currently resides in both South Bend, Indiana and St. Petersburg, FL. Mike creates impressionistic, color-driven paintings that explore movement, emotion, and energy, often through themes like sports and human dynamics. His work plays with texture and experimental color to evoke a sense of motion and moment, blurring the lines between realism and abstraction. Passionate about color, texture, and the emotion of movement, his art is always evolving, experimental, and deeply connected to the feeling of the moment.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“I am a Midwest boy. Born in Charlotte, NC and raised in South Bend, IN. My background is in sports and art since I excelled at both from an early age. Art became a stronger focus when one of my paintings received recognition at The Century Center in SB. I was a senior in high school.”

What inspires you?

“Everyday life. Sports. Learning. Commitment.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“A challenge. Self-awareness. Constant learning and growth. The silver lining is my underlying message. At the end of the day, it all works out and then you have a beautiful painting.”

How would you describe your work?

“I feel like my art is its own little subculture where realism, impressionism and sports create chaos. But there’s beauty in the chaos and it makes art.”

Which artists influence you most?

“Michelangelo, Monet, Van Gogh and Degas.”

What is your creative process like?

“It takes hours, days, weeks sometimes. Every line, every stroke, every color is a choice, meticulously thought out. There’s a beginning, a middle and a finish and in that it’s its own journey.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“I don’t know what artists are looking for as their role, I can only speak on what I’m looking for. I don’t seek political recognition and I don’t seek gratitude. I seek how art can make emotion. How it can make you feel a certain way and then a different way. Not change you, not persuade you, just make you feel. And if I’ve done that, I think I’ve done a good job.”

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?