MICHAEL MOSS

As a child I was initially inspired by color, I've always been fascinated by color and how colors interact with each other. I knew at an early age that I was an artist and that my passion would be spent in pursuit of a fulfilling creative life. As a teen my vision crystalized as I fell in love with the great album cover art of the 1970's. Names like Roger Dean and Stanley Mouse became my heroes. My path was clear and I set my compass for San Francisco, the Haight Ashbury district to be specific. At age 20 I hitch hiked to San Francisco to follow my calling and ad my voice to the great tradition of Haight Ashbury artists.

In time my heroes became my contemporaries or I should say I became theirs. In 2018 I was invited to Stanley Mouses' studio to meet the great artist and to show him my work for assessment. To my amazement Mouse loved my work and an afternoon meeting has turned into an on going friendship. It was Mouses' encouragement and praise that fueled my flame and I set out to earn the praise I was given. Two years later in 2020, during the pandemic, I was fortunate enough to get into Roger Dean's online painting class. This was a one time only deal with only ten students world wide admitted. This was a game changer for me. I was finally getting access to a master and to make it more surreal I was learning from a childhood hero. My time studying with Roger Dean has catapulted me to a new level of artistic expression. And here I am, representing the Haight Ashbury's fine artistic tradition and carrying the torch forward. Destiny Achieved.

I have many techniques at my disposal but the two I rely on the most are traditional brush painting and the other is airbrush. My landscapes are traditionally painted and my psychedelic work usually relies heavily on airbrush combined with traditional painting techniques. I think most accomplished artists arrive at their own individual technic which helps deliver a signature style. I use everything I have in my tool box of skills to achieve the desired outcome. I also work in pen and ink, water color, sculpture, stained glass, ceramics, and batik.

One of my favorite highlight has to be presenting one of my artistic heroes, Stanley Mouse, with the tribute painting I created in his honor at his recent art show in San Francisco. I have had many highs in my career but how often does one get to befriend a major influence let alone create something in his honor as payback for all the inspiration received? Magical.