Michael Branca - Fine Art
Artist's Statements

Broken Heart Cage

In my work I employ a broad spectrum of media and subject matter, from large fantastical oil paintings to en plein air landscapes to small conceptual assemblages. Through these routes I explore the feeling of (dis-)connectedness with nature, society and self while attempting to find beauty, joy and humor in the unexpected, mundane and common.

The focus of much of my work is on the struggle of the individual to find harmony in each of his/her worlds - the natural world, the people world and the self world. Some works show a complete integration within or amongst these worlds; others express the fear of never finding peace, or depict it slipping out of grasp.

I am fascinated by that aspect of human nature which compels us to sabotage positive momentum whenever we threaten to reach our full potential. This sabotage takes place on the individual level when we encourage mediocrity in ourselves and in those around us, and it happens on a societal level when our governments, schools and corporations do the same.

I envision a world in which all decisions, big and small, are based on their social and environmental merit, not on the fictitious value-scale of the dollar bill. That which improves quality of life by utilizing resources in a harmonious way is of the utmost value. That which perpetuates greed, suffering and shortsightedness is of the least worth. Sustainability is the bottom line.

I am a stubborn optimist, and I believe we will figure out ways to reverse the idiotic trend of poisoning our air, water, food, and human spirit. But it won’t happen soon if we all keep shopping for "bargains" at corpoconglomo-megastores. If we must use dollars, I believe in treating each one as a vote. I suggest electing local, organic, artistic originality whenever possible.

These concepts may be applied just as aptly to personal struggles as to global ones. I'm talking as much about my inability to get off my butt and paint on any given day as about our society's inability to get off of its addiction to petroleum-based fuel. Why do we struggle so hard against doing that which we know would make us healthier and happier? I don't know. But somehow my drive to make artwork that conveys these concepts, struggles and ideals in an accessible way to the viewing public embodies a personal refusal to be defeated by this question.

RECLAMATIONS:

Works of art which:

* reclaim the souls of discarded (or generally overlooked) objects

* breathe new life into the object

* redefine the role of the object

* replace old assumptions with a renewed sense of curiosity and potential.

CATALYTIC CONVERSIONS:

This series continues to grow as I continue to find more catalytic converters. Ironically, the reason I find so many is because I am primarily a bicycle rider. The cages act as a metaphor for our feeling of dependence upon the conveniences of modern society; the desire to transcend reliance on pollution-generating technology; and the circular, catch-22, hypocritical trap this creates within the conscience. Then pun titles (i.e. Broken Heart Cage, pictured above) trap the viewer into a parallel cycle of questioning and confusion - is the heart broken or is it the cage?

I find the converters on the streets of Portland at a rate of about once a month. The catalytic converter is intended to reduce toxic emissions levels from the automobile. But apparently they fall off a lot. You might want to check your car to make sure you’ve got one.

SUMMARY:

All too often the act of looking at art is approached with the same drive-by mentality that most of us take into too many aspects of our lives. Miniature works of art demand a slower pace than a painting that can be "taken in" from across a room. These works ask that the viewer step right up close and absorb the details which might easily be missed - details in a tiny drawing executed a quarter of an inch tall, and details highlighted in the beauty of everyday objects which we might otherwise disregard.

In five weeks as the ridiculously lucky Artist-in-Residence at the Carina House on Monhegan Island, Maine, I completed nineteen oil landscapes. The works are a bit of a departure from the more imagination-based, often experimental, content-driven work I normally produce. They are in fact my first en plein air paintings. I took on the challenge of working outside as a way of improving my skills as a painter. I thought I'd enjoy the process, but I did not expect to fall in love with it the way I did. I understand now the compulsive drive that leads a person to spend a lifetime painting the landscape. Whole days spent rooted in a beautiful spot, trying to keep up with nature. Chasing the light, racing the tides, fighting the fog. I can't imagine ever getting it completely right, but I'm sure I'm not done trying.
 

BOXES

Everyone wants to stick you in a box. Are you A or B? Republican or Democrat? Gay or Straight? etc. etc. If they can classify you. then they can stereotype you. And they can destroy all of the subtle individuality that makes you a human being.

I hate being put in a box.

I don't relate to Generation X. The definition of a generation is 100% arbitrary. Who drew the lines? 19-35 years old at present. This makes no sense.

I don't want to know what it is that GenXers think, how we all feel about technology, what our art looks like. But I am interested in the thoughts, philosophies and visions of today's young adults. I'm interested in individuals.

The existence of one wacky individual following his or her own completely unique path in a sea of uniformity is fascinating to me. I am not interested in where we are heading as a cohesive generation. I want to know what the passionate free-thinking dissidents are up to. They are the ones who will change society.

TECHNOLOGY (WEB)

As a 26 year old middle class white American, it seems I have been maturing at equal pace with personal computers in society. I was vaguely aware of their existence as a young child. They became more prevalent in schools as I got older and in high school I was required to word process all my papers (although no one ever taught me "how to type"). When I got to college, I was introduced to email, and as I was leaving college I was vaguely aware of the world wide web. Now, four years later, everything is becoming dotcom and people are telling me that this web thing is "necessary" for "survival."

I react against this.

I am a visual artist. I like tactile things that are real. Oil paint on cotton canvass. Clay. Wood. If I need to research something, I like hunting around in a library looking at books and magazines. Things I can touch, carry, smell. The web to me is elitist, slow, cold, impersonal, frustrating and limiting. Staring into that light is inhealthy and as a tool for looking at art, it is completely inadequate.

On the other hand I do admit there are benefits to the web if you have it readily available. There is some research that can be done much quicker if you know what you are doing, and surfing can lead a person to things they otherwise never would have known about.

The web is a tool that benefits and limits. As an artist, I don't believe in "virtual" representation as a substitute for actual exhibition, but it is a way for people to become aware of me and my worth who otherwise wouldn't. Therefore, I have work on the web. I wouldn't use it to find out about artists, but I know there are people who do; therefore, I won't eschew it completely.

THE FUTURE

It is becoming increasingly obvious that we can't keep living the way we are all living. Depleting, depleting, rapidly depleting the earth's non-renewable resources, poisoning our air, poisoning our water, poisoning our food. Convenience is the name of the game, and those of us rich enough to live the life of blind convenience are perpetuating a cruel and self-destructive system that must stop.

I have never killed a third world child. I have never demolished a virgin growth forest. I have never personally slaughtered the last surviving member of a rare species of birds. But I have. And I keep doing it. Everytime I shop at a multinational megastore, everytime I fill my gas tank and grab a candy bar to go. Everytime I purchase or partake of any product or service that's not 100% recycled, reused, organic, local, renewable, etc. etc. etc.

I think about this stuff a lot and sitting here writing it down makes me say, "Ugh!" We are all going to hell, and there ain't nothing we can do about it.

But, at the core of my soul I can't believe that. As impossible as it seems, I have faith that we people creatures have the potential and will eventually put the brakes on this downward spiral and figure out a way to stop trying to kill ourselves off. We are inherently creative in the face of adversity. The problem is that at present, the people with the power (money) to spark major, immediate change have no reason to change things--because they feel no adversity.

I believe that change will occur, and it doesn't have to happen at the cost of modern convenience. In my perfect utopian future, we have speedy vehicles and comfortable homes just like now. But, a revolution needs to take place first, a revolution which has begun on the fringes. This revolution will not destroy society as we know it, but, rather it will add to it greatly.

There is a tendency to think of modern society as a dead end street--we're destroying the earth, so let's stop it and return to the land. Well, nobody really wants to return to primitive society. Too much hard work and sickness. Instead, we need to find a harmony between the two extremes. Finding harmony with the earth need not be mutually exclusive of technology. We need to support eco-friendly progress.

I believe that every dollar I spend is a vote and I do my best to vote for what I believe in.

CONCLUSION

If we're so linked in this modern age, where are my peers? Shouldn't I have found more of them by now? Maybe I am just a hermit (rather true), but despite all the available media, advertising, technology, etc. I still feel pretty alone with my art and my views. The world has become "small." But people still feel isolated.
 

Mike's art/life statement:

Artistic Purpose (in 3 parts)

(trying...)

1. to paint, to paint, to paint.

2. to transform the yucky, unwanted, discarded, common and boring into the beautiful, funny, thought-provoking, interesting and new.

3. to try to figure out this whole life thing, and people, and what we've done to the planet and what we've done for the planet and why i sometimes feel so alienated from other people and the planet and to come to terms with all this and to do what I can to express appreciation through my art and in my life and to not be apathetic and/or destructive, but to live in a way that may inspire others through lifestyle and through art.

passion = life

apathy = death

every dollar is a vote

paint? paint.