about mike ham

ABOUT THE ARTIST

good karma sat down on his shoulder the day a knoxville collector bought 14 of mike ham’s earliest paintings for his new home and office.

after years of international travel in sales of architectural materials, it was a blessed relief to unpack his luggage and settle in with his family, with freedom to hike out into nature, time to think and ponder. sitting in his home was the huge easel he had inherited from his dad, a sometime sunday painter. inspiration struck, and the notion to give that big old paint spattered behemoth something to do, sent him out to an art supply store for canvas and color, thus discovering a new passion, and a new career. to this day, i don’t think he realizes that any artist will attest to the fact that selling so many paintings so early in the game, is rare indeed. his following continues to grow, with paintings installed in collections all around the country.

by bet joy, web administrator for mike ham contemporary folk artist. email azbet1022@yahoo.com

REVIEWS

Conn Trussell...

‘At the outset of his career as an artist, Mike Ham has found his visual language. Many more seasoned painters have found this an elusive accomplishment. He offers vivid glimpses of life from his own unique perspective in paintings of immense charm that seduce the senses...

These paintings are engaging on several levels. The feeling is spontaneous...an incident...not frozen in time, but exuding a kind of permanent energy. Mike’s paintings are compositions of modernity, embracing abstraction and pictorial elements with equal freshness that sort of look back at you.

Ham’s color sense is bold...even brash, as he seems to just grab a tube of whatever primary color suits him at the moment, and spontaneously slather it on the canvas. His colors are laid down side by side, or overlapping...rarely blended or fretted over. The result is a masterfully intuitive use of paint that is enjoyable in its textural surface.

Conn Trussell received his BA in Liberal Arts from Louisiana Tech, MFA and DFA at Northwestern University at Natchitoches, LA. He taught at Northwestern, Lamar University and at American University in Rome. A member of American Society of Portrait Artists, he lives in Houston.

Giselle Zeid...

Mike Ham’s modernist paintings are explosions of color and creativity.

In addition to his impressive mastery of style, his handling of color and treatment of surface are fresh, using vibrant, evocative colors to develop a very personal means of communication with the observer. Each painting contains as much information as he wishes to impart.

The ideas he chooses to pursue are timeless, and the paintings beautifully executed. The stylized elongation of his figures allows endless possibilities within the boundaries of his unique style. Looking at the paintings, we are challenged to guess the artist’s deepest, most intimate thoughts and emotions concealed behind layers of charmingly executed brush strokes. A painting by Mike Ham is a wonderful addition to any modern art collection.

a critique by Giselle Zeid, Houston artist, former HCC art professor, and author of an upcoming book, “The Edentians’.

SHOWS

artisan gallery, knoxville, tn

agora gallery, knoxville, tn

the grotto, knoxville, tn

jacksonville, fl

miami, fl

rouxbarb, knoxville, tn

wild oats, decatur, ga

matilda’s, alpharetta, ga

gallerie matilda, roswell, ga.

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS