Meet the Artist
Friday, July 15th @ 7 pm
in the Bistro Bar
BAD WORDS
2022
acrylic on panel
12 in. x 16 in.
In the Jasper Project’s continued efforts to facilitate the exhibition of the art of Midlands-based artists on Columbia’s public walls we welcome the work of Michael David Dwyer to Motor Supply Co. Bistro at 920 Gervais Street in Columbia’s historic Congaree Vista.
In his decades-spanning practice, Michael Dwyer has focused on making abstract paintings that place color front and center. His recent work deploys crisp-edged chunks of translucent color that meander, zigzag, or float through the composition. The paintings are improvisational structures that often reveal evidence of their evolution.
LEXIKON
2022
acrylic on panel
14 in. x 18 in.
Dwyer holds a BFA from Syracuse University and an MFA from the University of South Carolina. His work has been exhibited in Syracuse, Providence, and various cities in South Carolina. Most recently, Dwyer's work was included in the exhibition The Shape of Things at 701 Center for Contemporary Art.
GHOST NOTES
2021
acrylic on panel
14 in. x 11 in.
Dwyer says, “As a kid, I was surrounded by modern art at home - mostly my father’s paintings. I loved visiting my dad's studio. I liked the spattered dishevelment, the smell of paint, and the paintings that I couldn't fully understand, but instinctively grasped, as the works came to life. I knew at an early age that making art was something I wanted to pursue.
“A sense of movement has been an important element in my work for many years. Earlier pieces often conveyed a feeling of forms drifting in space. Then there was a shift toward using linear compositions to create direction. I wanted your eye to move along a variety of paths and have experiences along the way. My paintings relate to movement, physically, but also as it exists in music. I also found from my earlier collage work that I like shapes in my paintings to have crisp, assertive edges, like those that came from using scissors. Pieces are sometimes informed by elements of our environment like billboards, architecture, and graffiti. Ultimately, I’m always chasing that transcendent moment where color, shape, and movement come together in a way that‘s thrilling and right.”
The Artist - Michael Dwyer