Cole Gallery

Michael Orwick

Michael Orwick

Living in Portland, Michael began his career as a full-time oil painter in the mid 2000’s. Finding a nearly immediate collector base, his l paintings resonated with a large population. With design influences from Art Nouveau, color inspired from tonalism, combined with the brushwork of impressionism, Michael creates timeless art.  With each glowing light-filled landscape, Michael paints the beauty of forests, beaches, flowing streams and life all around him. He states:



As a native Oregonian, I cannot separate my art from my love of the Pacific Northwest.  The coast, mountains, and meadows, each infused with mysterious light and atmosphere, weave narratives into their settings.  As a painter, the effects of light and atmosphere are what I remember about a location and what inspires me most.  Light transforms the ordinary or even beautiful into the exceptional. My quest is to capture these fleeting moments and help people see things again through new eyes. I love working on my personal projects for the galleries, as well as on commissioned paintings for clients, whether for private, corporate or civic displays.  On a typical day, you can find me working in my home studio or outside painting Plein-air in some beautiful location.



Describing Michael, a collector states:  "Michael Orwick's mastery of light is extraordinary. His paintings draw me into them, it's almonst as if I can heawr the water, feel the wind, smell the air - it's clear that he pours himself into the story that each of his paintings tell. I've not seen any contemporary artist express light the way he can."