Michael Sweeney Biomorphic Watercolor and Gouache Painting

Item Details

Michael Sweeney (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, born 1951)
Untitled (abstract figural forms), 21st century
Watercolor and gouache painting on paper
Initialed “M.S.” to the lower right

Pittsburgh-based Folk artist and illustrator Michael Sweeney specializes in graphic designs that often feature abstract animal and figural motifs and both geometric and biomorphic shapes. His compositions are rendered with vibrant colors and shapes delineated with stark outlines, many of which are arranged into grid-like designs or rectangular registers. Sweeney received his B.F.A. from Penn State University and is also a songwriter and bassist who has played in local and national bands. He is the founding member of the Americana band Hoodoo Drugstore, for which he has designed several album covers in the 1980s and 1990s. He has also worked as a tattoo designer, which he incorporates into his illustrations and logos. Visually, Sweeney is influenced by tribal art from around the world and adopts aspects of different tribal art that he conglomerates into his unique hybrid style. Many of his compositions are painted on drywall or discarded construction materials as he shares an interest in upcycling when creating art. Sweeney has exhibited his work in local venues and has participated in solo shows throughout the Pittsburgh area.

Condition

- minor buckling and curling to artwork from unflattened storage; tiny holes in paper to the corner margins of the painting, likely due to the previous use of thumbtacks or pins; faint scuffs and accretions to paint and paper; negligible creases and handling wear to paper at the edges of the sheet.

Dimensions

Item #

ITMGC50115