Michael Obermeyer

"As an illustrator, I've always created art to fit others' needs. Painting, however, offers me the opportunity to create for myself, to allow others to see how I perceive life around me, and to totally escape from the real world for a while. I enjoy painting outdoors and working quickly. It keeps my paintings fresh and spontaneous. I especially like to paint as much of the open space as I can, as it seems to be rapidly disappearing.

When painting outdoors, en plein air, I must work quickly due to the changing light. Therefore, I have a limited palette of four to seven colors. This orderly layout also enables me to mix clean, fresh color.

I try to find subject matter that fascinates me. Nature provides the perfect balance of shape, value, and color — the three elements that I find most important in painting. It can be so satisfying, and I feel blessed for that."

Gregory Peck once said, "I love my God, my wife, my family, and my job. I am the damn luckiest man on earth." As someone who gets to paint for a living, that pretty much says it all for me.