Minneapolis based artist Michael Carson captures the fleeting moments of stylish modern day people. While there is a sense of immediacy in painting them, there is also a timelessness in their 40s and 90s-esque glamour. His subject’s fashion is one of the ways that Carson injects himself into his works; patterns in clothing and the interiors of rooms are particularly prevalent, reflecting his interests in design and fashion. One can’t help but think of Mad Men when looking at his oil paintings of smoking swingers and business men after work. We usually find them lounging in bars, clubs, backstage fashion shows, and dance studios, earning the artist comparisons to French painter Edgar Degas. Carson, however, likes to think of himself as a figurative painter more than an impressionist. In his statement, he shares, “my work is first and foremost figurative studies… Seeing how the work evolves, the subtle and the drastic differences, and looking forward to the future is what keeps me painting. I view a painting as a success when I take from it something new that follows me into my next work. It’s just about learning to become a better painter.”
