about me

About Michael Esson

I am a full time emerging Artist who has participated in solo and group Art shows from around 2007 after a 14 year break from the Art world. My paintings are essentially Abstract Expressionist despite figurative elements creeping in by accident here and there. I mostly work in my studio with acrylics, oil, enamel, latex paint, collage and pastels and let my hands and imagination run wild. Titles of work mostly come from names of places which come to mind during the process of painting. My paintings are multi-layered as there are no prior sketches and the composition changes many times directly on the canvas before the desired result seeps through.

Education

Started drawing and painting from 7 years old and was given direction through a number of teachers in primary, grammar school and college. Pete Smith from the Kent Institute of Art and Design showed me how to see Art through binging on Art galleries, dumpster diving for materials and getting 'stuck in' whether it be with paint, old tractor tyres or mud in the forest. 
1988-89 at the Kent Institute of Art and Design was followed by 1989-90 at Birmingham University (St. Margarets). 1990-91 was a self study programme in Antigua, Guatemala which involved visiting maya sites throughout the country including Mexico and Honduras.