Michael Mercier paints deeply textured abstractions based on nature, politics, and emotions using acrylic paint applied with assorted brushes, knives, construction tools and hands on canvas or wood panels. He is based in Galloway, Ohio.

From the Artist... For the first several years of his painting career Michael Mercier made graphic, cubist influenced paintings of social and political themes using acrylic paint on canvas, often collaging objects that reinforced the themes. In 2015 he started experimenting with thick, matte, single colors of paint brushed in deep unruly whorls and textures over masked glossy sprayed metallic paint; unmasking removes some of the thick textures and reveals orderly metallic shapes. Thinking abstractly about removal and metal led him to name the paintings after working mines, The metallic color relates (roughly) to the ore being mined. After a 2018 trip to Hawaii, Michael did a series of paintings named after and inspired by volcanoes around the world. Lately, Michael has been painting on unprimed wood panels, letting the grain of the wood interact with and/or frame the paints and collage elements. He’s intrigued to see the support layer of a piece do more than keep the paint off the wall.