Featured Artist: Creese
If you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning (or even this year!), then you’re need of DBH artist Creese’s breathtaking designs to lift your spirits. Every piece is a stunning canvas decorated with snapshots of the world; it is almost as if each is sprinkled with the magic of the Northern Lights or viewed through a technicolor lens. Any feelings of sadness, stress, or anxiety can be banished into the shadows again, because today – with these innocent-eyed animal portraits and lovingly-crafted abstracts – we find a small way to brighten the day.
Creese, or Michael Creese, is a full-time artist born in Chicago, Illinois who is currently living in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He admits, “I took an early interest in art during grade school, and in high school I began painting with oils and never went back.” His mesmerizing oil designs capture each distinct stroke and come to life on the digital page. He shares his unique approach and says, “all the texture and details in my contemporary work is done with painting knives, without the use of brushes.”
He finds inspiration from everything around him and believes that sometimes we “need to slow down and take the time to notice.” In fact, he jokes that sometimes he can have trouble slowing himself down; it is difficult to “sit down to do it” or draw “especially with the plethora of social media and cell phones” that can be a distraction.
He believes that “creativity is an extension of yourself” and that our drive to create is what makes us unique. He tells artists to pursue “the art that comes from your heart.” He is excited about his own journey and hopes to publish an illustrated book next year. He recognizes “little ‘moments’ in my art journey that have built my confidence along the way” and reflects on the feeling when someone purchases his painting in a gallery, without even having met him. It is moments like these that make him feel like his art has a voice and can connect with people in a way he could never have dared hoped for.
