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Grove to the West - January |
Honey Locust - May Morning |
Backlit Underbrush, January |
Double Trunk, Backlit |
Afternoon Shadows, Deep Snow |
Garden Road, Distant Hill |
Cannas & Zinnias |
Redbud Grove |
Dormant Azalea |
Fallen Branches - January |
Into the Valley - January 2nd |
Honey Locust and Hayfield |
Top of the Rise - September |
Edge of the Sleeping Garden |
Sunlit Accents - January Woods |
Mountain Top Clearing |
The Blue River |
Down Trees - October |
Fall Colors, Front Mountain |
Low Water - Moss Covered Rocks |
Round Rock - Laurel Lake |
Purple Shadows |
Dense Woods |
Edge of the Swimming Hole - January |
Waterfall - Cool July Day |
Streambed in Winter |
View of the Pond |
Hazy Day - Redbud River |
Two Sisters Fishing |
The Way Out |
Mexican Sunflowers |
Zinnia Bed |
Heading for the Barn |
Rainy Day Redbud |
Hazy September Garden |
Overgrown Fencline with Redbud |
Rowing at Sunset |
Summer Day, Quiet Corner |
Everglades Path |
Spring in the Mountains |
Two Leaning Trunks |
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MICHAEL WHEELER
American
Often the story was told of young
men leaving the mountains to seek their fortunes in the city. Michael
Wheeler did the opposite, and we are the beneficiaries. Born in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania in 1952, Wheeler was educated at the Carnegie Institute Museum
and continued at the Carnegie Mellon University. He received a Bachelor's
degree in 1974 and went on to Graduate School at Ohio University. After
finishing his education, Wheeler worked as a church volunteer in Kentucky
where he met his wife Becky, and settled with her in the foothills of
Appalachia. And that's where his journey as an artist began…
Wheeler came from a very artistic
family. His mother and father, artists themselves, provided young Michael
with great encouragement to develop his own artistic talent. He chose
American landscape as his main subject and drew inspiration from the environment
in which he lived. His portrayal of nature is harmonious and effortless;
peaceful and inviting; never exaggerated. He lives among the trees he
paints. He breathes the air and feels the sunlight he paints. He walks
the paths and climbs the hills, and then… he invites us to enjoy the journey
with him through his canvases.
Wheeler became famous for illuminating
each painting with light, and then contrasting it with shadow. The effect
is so unique to him. It can not be duplicated by anyone. The quality of
his work has earned him numerous awards throughout the country: Gold Medal,
National Scholastic Art Exhibit, New York, 1970; winner in Kentucky Artist
Postcard Series, Bowling Green, 1984; US Art Magazine Award, Arts for
the Parks, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1989.
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