Michael Pierson
Artist Statement
Art has followed me my entire life. From sketching comic strips at the kitchen
table in grade school to college studios filled with charcoal dust and paint, to my
early work to become an inker in the comic book industry of the 1980s. Bar
none, nothing captured my imagination the way watercolor did.
At times I paint in oils and acrylics, although watercolor speaks to my heart.
Being known as the most demanding medium, the challenge is exactly what
drew me in. I love the way transparent pigments flow on paper, how granulating
colors settle into a delicate texture, and how each brushstroke balances
precision and unpredictability. Sometimes I work with barely a whisper of water
and sometimes I let it flood the surface and watch it command its own presence.
Brushes, sponges, salt, masking fluid, even the edge of my fingernail, become
tools of expression. Watercolor invites me to activate my imagination,
experiment with technique, and find the balance between control and surrender.
My style is rooted in Realism. I paint what I find intriguing…bold and colorful
scenes, intricate machinery, delicate still-lifes, wildlife, landscapes, anything with
character. My goal is to just to capture the image, but the essence behind it.
I paint for joy, inquisitiveness, and for pleasure. I take very few commissions so
that creating remains something I do from passion. Each piece exists because I
couldn’t help but paint it. I love my work to find its way into the homes that
deserve it. Where beauty, conversations and inspiration collide into one loving
destination.