Michael Kuseske

Michael Kuseske’s paintings of flowers are unique. Though flowers have been painted for centuries, Michael paints them in a way seldom seen. His paintings are modern, intriguing, colorful, stately, dramatic, exciting, and beautiful. He celebrates the color and sculptural form of each flower in a way that takes your breath away. It’s hard to not feel lighthearted when viewing his work.

Michael bases his oil paintings on photos of flowers he has taken as he visits botanical gardens and flower gardens in his travels across the US. The most colorful flowers that have interesting shapes attract his attention. He looks for flowers that express dynamic 3D sculptural form with overlapping petals or stamen that seem to come out at the viewer. Michael prefers to take his photos in direct sunlight which creates sharp shadow lines, increasing the excitement and drama of the painting. He also paints the highlights lighter and the shadows darker, further accentuating the sculptural form.

At first glance, Michael’s paintings look very realistic. But at closer examination, the observer can see they are highly stylized. Michael does this to heighten the color and dramatic effect. The paintings look realistic because they are meticulously shaded and every line is crisp and sharp. His training as a hand lettering sign painter enables him to paint by hand with a brush using no aids such as taping the edges. Michael generally uses a solid painted background putting all the focus on the flower alone. He prefers to leave his paintings unframed with a gallery wrapped edge. Frames tend to hem in, contain, and calm down the natural movement, drama, and excitement of the flowers I love to paint.