Featured Artist Michael Dumas

Enjoy the incredible portfolio of oil painter Michael Dumas, who captures the spirit of nature in his realistic work. Visit his website to see more.

 

 

A deep fascination for nature has been with me since a very early age. So too has been the desire to communicate something about my observations of the wild things I encountered. Drawing was my first choice in this regard, and eventually painting became an extension of that.

 

 

Somewhere along the way, the idea of becoming a painter of wildlife instilled itself. I don’t remember this being a conscious decision, just something that I was compelled to pursue. This I did, with a single-minded intensity and passion. By age 24, I was working as a full-time artist. I am now 74 years old and still fascinated and inspired by wild places and the creatures that make it their home.

 

 

As I look back on my career, I recognize a singular feature that I feel has been the foundation for my longevity. Simply put, it has to do with painting the things I was most inspired to paint, and to do so in a way that has been true to personal preferences.

 

 

For the longest time I worked in watercolor and gouache combined, followed by separating these mediums to stand alone on their individual merits. Next came a period of painting in egg tempera, which eventually bridged the gap between water-based mediums to oil paint. The egg tempera tradition of painting on wood panel also carried over to my painting in oil.

 

 

Because drawing is so foundational to my art, I spend a lot of time on preparatory studies as well as structural refinements that I want to make sure are carried over in the final painting. I apply the paint very thinly, allowing the under-drawing to serve as a guide during the conversion to a fully painted surface.

 

 

In some cases, where it is critical in preserving the drawing, I will reinforce those areas with thinned out black paint and apply it with a finely pointed sable hair brush.

 

 

 

The support has a strong influence on the characteristics of the final work, even if the methodology of applying paint remains the same. Of course, there are qualities that vary according to the materials being used, and these often determine adjustments to how one goes about developing the artwork. Regardless, I tend to push whatever medium I am using in a direction that reflects whatever inspired me to paint in the first place.

 

 

Over the last few years, I have been working with oils on canvas primed with a somewhat absorbent ground. The ease of blending, and the texture of the support allows me to complete a painting faster without sacrificing my chosen style.

 

 

Likewise, with the use of Polychromos oil-based pencils. A dry medium tends to be faster to work with, and between these two new additions to my studio practice I have found that my productivity has gone up. This has been a most welcome development, as I have an endless supply of ideas that demand fulfillment.

 

Michael Dumas invites you to follow on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

 

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