Michael Baum Art Contemporary Paintings of the Southwest

Michael Baum
Working in Two Styles

A few years ago, I painted a group of paintings based on images collected on road trips. Some of the photos I took right out of the windshield while we cruised down the highway. Others I took while wandering empty prairie, the wind in the grass the only sound. The paintings, done in a contemporary representational style, had a strong sense of place, its subtleties of color, light, and space. They expressed nuances of mood that the whimsical paintings could not.

 But, I did not want to give up the whimsical style that expresses so well the joy of life and discovery.  It’s just too much fun. So, I continue to work in both styles. One is the other side of the coin from the other, two views of the same subject, each expressing different aspects of my personality.

           
                  Hide N' Seek                                                            Canyon Cliffs