Artist Statement
Michael Stanganelli Artistic Statement
I use images that are familiar to me to express my personal experience on this earth whether they are personal, media derived or every day objects. I am intrigued by our American culture and it's future. I love history's progression and want to document it in an unconventional way.
My painting has become not only a therapeutic process for me but also a way to document my personal history and make sense of the world. My personal questioning remains undecided. I can still be left however with the beautiful markings of confusion. I want to express the random thoughts that go through my mind throughout the day.
A theme of contradiction may be found in my work with opposite images working together side by side. Every person struggles with decisions on finding morality, beauty, and priority. I want to make this inner struggle visual.
I believe today's fast pace American society brings about anxiety which may be brought on by constant advertisement and indoctrination. I want to crystallize the constant bombardment of images and ideas forced upon us.
My work seems to grow with a constant change on viewpoints in life. It seems that the loosening up of my opinions and status in life has translated to my artwork and made it seem a little more free and playful. I am unafraid of mistakes in the work and embrace the spontaneity of the process.
I am using house paints for my artwork at this point due to comfort, time and economy. I use various types of magazines to get that random look. I also work from life and photography