About the artist

Michael Abrams studio is nestled in the Green Mountains of Southern Vermont. Relocating his studio from Manhattan to Vermont in 2008 allowed Abrams to increasingly embrace the natural environment as a more direct influence on his work. The abundantly varied vistas of the Green Mountains, the physicality of the terrain, the unique quality of light, and the richness of the atmosphere, are often quite striking in their radiance then become thick and obscuring at other times, have become pronounced and integral to his storytelling. These present experiences are layered upon bucolic images of sprawling fertile land, scenic beauty, and awe-inspiring sunsets of his childhood home perched above the majestic greenery of the Hudson River Valley, in Rensselaer County, New York.

Abrams practice though rooted in Luminism, evokes fresh responses to touchstone experiences with Nature while giving the perception of something otherworldly. These minimally bare landscapes seem to be at once recognizable destinations and intangible color fields. In this way Abrams bridges the romanticism of the Hudson River School with the contemporary dialogue of abstraction. The viewer is often introduced to the picture plane as if hovering slightly above the ground, adding to the sense of detachment from reality. Substance dissipates into atmosphere, emphasizing misty ambiance over earthly terrain.

Abrams renders his observations of nature in layers of oil glazes which are mixed with color and range from semi-transparent to opaque. The technique creates an atmospheric and luminous quality.

“I am revisiting landscape painting within the context of contemporary art. My work is about how I see nature through the lens of memory, but it is also about restraint. It is as much about the painting process that brings me to these visual conclusions within a minimal presentation as it is about connecting the viewer to an experience with nature.

In my paintings I am giving you a fleeting glance at a moment, an observation I have made of some detail or aspect of nature that I then expand upon; the glint of light reflecting off of some distant water, the diffused unanswered shapes of trees and land, offering a selection of familiar images which create a longing for what we have known and thought to be permanent. All these elements have combined to tell the story of my relationship with nature.”

The Artist’s residence and studio in the Green Mountains.