Location: United States
Artist Statement – Mike Engle
Mike started working on his art in the late 1980’s. He started with painting on canvas then progressed to working with three dimensional canvas wall sculptures where triangles formed the basis of his geometric designs. As he progressed in his vision, the materials he used in his wall sculptures came to include metals such as copper, bronze, sealed lead, zinc and stainless steel.
Mike Engle’s pieces are a mixture of materials, textures and colors blended together to create a unique visual experience. His fascination with geometric shapes, his unique use of patina and metal along with other materials and the diversity of the metal textures and colors are his trademarks. Subtle angles and curves lend an air of boldness and familiarity to the sculptural shapes and industrial aspects of his creations.
The way light plays off the art is the key to his presentation. His distinctive sculptures reflect all elements of the surrounding environment. Once placed in natural light or accented with an artificial light source, no two days will be the same. As the times of day and season of the year change, so does his art.
He lists artists Victor Vasarely, Piet Mondrian, Paul Klee, Rufino Tamayo and Alexander Calder as major inspirations.
Contact Mike at Mike@mrengle.com or view his art at www.mrengle.com.
A Series of Wall Sculptures
ARTIST STATEMENT
Mike Engle has always been a designer and builder, dealing with shapes, dimensions, angles, proportions and balance. Mike gained discipline and a love of drafting and creating with his hands and tools from his father, a machinist in the aerospace industry, who worked with very precise tolerances and measurements.
When his career path took him to real estate development, he continued working with spatial relationships, colors and design on a much larger scale. Working with architects, interior designers and landscape architects helped establish his personal tastes and love of geometric configurations, colors and spacial relationships.
Mike started working on his art in the late 1980’s. He started with painting on canvas then progressed to working with three dimensional canvas wall sculptures where triangles formed the basis of his geometric designs. As he progressed in his vision, the materials he used in his wall sculptures came to include metals such as copper, bronze, sealed lead, zinc and stainless steel.
His pieces are a mixture of materials, textures and colors blended together to create a unique visual experience. Subtle angles and curves lend an air of boldness and familiarity to the sculptural shapes and industrial aspects of his creations. His fascinations with geometric shapes and his unique use of colors are his trademarks. He also uses the diversity of metal textures, colors and patinas in his work.
The way light plays off the art is the key to his presentation as his distinctive sculptures reflect all elements of the surrounding environment. Once placed in natural light or accented with an artificial light source, no two hours of any two days will be the same. As the times of day and season of the year change, so does the look of his art.
He lists artists Victor Vasarely, Piet Mondrian, Paul Klee, Rufino Tamayo and Alexander Calder as major inspirations.
Mike Engle is a native of Southern California and currently lives and works in the Naples Island area of Long Beach.
Contact Mike at Mike@mrengle.com or 949-266-7804 or view his art at www.mrengle.com.
Red acrylic on canvas stretched over wood framing.
48" X 48" X 6" deep
Green acrylic on canvas stretched over wood framing.
48" x 48" x 6" deep
Purple acrylic on canvas stretched over wood framing
48" x 48" x 6" deep
“Tectonic”
“Jade Rift”
“Fault Line”
