Manic Monday - Snap

SNAP

Who can't remember Rice Crispies, "Snap, Crackle and Pop?" Whether they're in a bowl with milk and strawberries or baked into those Rice Crispies Treats, we've probably all had them! I like them as a kid but truthfully? I'll take Kashi as an adult!!!

THE ARTIST
James Michaels, American, Born 1945
Born in Brooklyn, James Michaels moved to the Tampa Bay area in 1971. In 1980, Michaels gave up a successful commercial art career to pursue a career in the fine arts.

His early paintings were classically realistic subjects, Native Americans and wildlife. But Michaels didn't feel challenged by them. It came too easy. Technically skilled, but needing to get in touch with his feelings, Michaels gave up the paintbrush and used his fingers to paint directly on the canvas. This exercise was a revelation and he no longer felt constrained to any preconceived notions of what painting should be.

In 1981, armed with paintings he really wanted to paint, in a style which began to show his emotions and insight as well as technical mastery, he started to win awards for his work. This culminated in 1986 with a national level fellowship, the AVA (Awards in the Visual Arts), which included a large cash prize and traveling exhibitions in New York, Cincinnati and California. In 1987, back problems seriously curtailed his painting production. After recovering, Michaels' work evolved into a more contemplative self-examining expressionistic approach. That style of painting led to a Gasparilla Best of Show award in 1990 and a one person show at the Tampa Museum of Art in 1992. In 1994, Michaels won a State of Florida Fellowship in painting.