Drifter

Michael Harnish’s bold paintings capture the layered visual language of the American West, where the organic and artificial collide. Using collaged magazines, he integrates pop culture imagery into painterly compositions, embedding fragments of mass media within abstract gestures. These elements mirror the region’s dynamic interplay between nature and urban life.

Mysterious shapes emerge and dissolve, allowing viewers to shift between abstraction and defined imagery. Bold fluorescent hues punctuate traditional settings, while globs of paint interrupt rendered forms, creating a tension between clarity and obscurity. 

Reminiscent of Eduard Vuillard’s dreamlike compositions, Harnish fractures and reassembles visual narratives, offering a tactile exploration of memory, place, and perception.