by
Roxanne Phillips, MFA
Printmaker and Master Printer, Pele Prints
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Michael Anderson. “Catch Your Dreams Before They Slip Away.” 2020. Oil on Canvas, 20"x16". $500.
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Roxanne Phillips: What do you find most challenging/rewarding about the creative process? Michael Anderson: For me the most challenging part of this work is managing the time it takes to accomplish a satisfying result. Often it seems as if I have been working for only a short while, but actually valuable hours have passed. The most rewarding moment is when the painting progresses to a level that feels right enough to sign it, put down the brush and move on to the next one.
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Michael Anderson. “Dancing Vaqueros.” 2020. Oil on Canvas, 10"x20". $300.
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R: Do you have a studio routine? Most creative time of day to work? Process of thinking or setting up before you begin making?
M: I prefer painting during the day. I maintain bankers hours with a midday break for lunch and then back to work until the cocktail hour - which at our house begins promptly at 4:30 p.m. I usually return to the studio around 9 p.m., often working into the wee hours with no distractions, which is my most creative time of the day.
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| Michael Anderson studio view. |
I begin a painting with a digital sketch which is proportionally sized to the canvas which I intend to paint. I use white charcoal or a soft pastel to coat the back side of a full-sized gray-scale print of the sketch. I transfer the sketch to a canvas primed with black gesso. I use Aqua Net Extra Super Hold hairspray as a fixative - which works perfectly every time! Painting with oils on black canvas is a guilty pleasure, much like viewing poker-playing dogs or Elvis Presley painted on black velvet.
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| Michael Anderson exterior studio view. |
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Michael Anderson studio view.
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| Michael Anderson studio view. |
R: What was your career path? How did you get from being an aspiring painter / illustrator to doing it?
M: After graduating from art school, my first job was in the home furnishings display department of the Famous-Barr department store. This was not too many years after Ernest Trova worked there in a similar position. I also worked as a draftsperson and graphics specialist for a civil engineering firm. In the early 1980s I established
Michael Anderson Studio, and since then have built my career blending architectural illustration and fine art commissions. Along the way, I was introduced to urban sketching and plein air painting. I have been a member of two cooperative art galleries as well as participating in local art fairs. I now mainly rely on special exhibit opportunities, commissions and
ArtLoupe as well as
my own website for sales of my work.
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Michael Anderson with one of his plein air paintings.
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R: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?M
: The best advice I have received came very early on from Elaine Sorel, a New York artists' rep whose clients included illustrators Edward Sorel and Paul Davis. She was known for hosting once-a-week career therapy sessions for small groups of aspiring artists. The advice: stop procrastinating. Her Do-It-Now program centered on developing a professional portfolio presentation and building one's self confidence. Not many artists need to carry around actual portfolios these days but the advice still applies in the digital age.
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Michael Anderson. “Fighting A Giant Carp.” 2020. Oil on Canvas, 11"x15”. $250.
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R: What are you currently working on?
M: Since the pandemic and stay-at-home restrictions, I have been concentrating on broadening my subject matter beyond landscapes.The myth themes in my recent work stem from my interest in folklore and the relationship of magic and art. I am placing the new work into a virtual gallery exhibit titled New MythThemes accompanied by a trade book catalog.
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Michael Anderson. “Questions About Angels.” Oil on Canvas, 20"x6”. 2019 $500.
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Belleville, IL-based artist
Michael Anderson has been an artist, illustrator and designer for over 35 years and his clients hail from around the U.S. Anderson earned a BA with honors & was Deans College Scholar at SIU Edwardsville in 1973. An award-winning gallery artist, his works have been exhibited at Art Saint Louis, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, The Ethical Society of St. Louis, Southwestern Illinois College, and many more galleries & venues.
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Roxanne Phillips is an artist and art educator based in St. Louis since 2001. She earned a MFA in Printmaking & Drawing from Washington University in St. Louis and BFA in Painting & Drawing from University of North Texas. She has worked with
Art Saint Louis since 2017 as Administrative Assistant and Installer and since 2018 as
Master Printer for Pele Prints. She also works as adjunct art instructor at Washington University in St. Louis. Her works have been featured in numerous exhibitions throughout the St. Louis region including at Art Saint Louis, Crossroads Art Studio & Gallery, and St. Louis Artists’ Guild. Her work is currently available at Union Studio in St. Louis. She has served as exhibit Juror for several regional exhibits & art fairs. Roxanne is past Board member of St. Louis Women’s Caucus for Art.
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