Michael Blessing is often asked whether he uses special paints to achieve the neon glow in his artwork. (He doesn’t.)
Evocative of the brightly lit roadside signs of old, Blessing’s paintings, often featuring Western pop culture icons, are instantly recognizable. “I create the illusion of a luminous, round tube by carefully curating the color and value relationships in the painting, then using graduations of the paint color on each tube to trick the eye,” says the artist. “I sometimes paint five to six different layers of color on a given neon tube, working not only on a value scale, dark to light, but also a chroma scale, grayed to pure pigment, creating a gradient. The human eye sees the gradient, and the brain interprets it as a round object.”
It’s Come to This, oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in.
That glowing aesthetic is further accentuated by placing his subjects against darker, slightly desaturated backgrounds. “The color relationships in each painting have to create a vibration to be electric. Every artist understands that color relationships, not specific colors, make a painting come alive. The darker value in the background allows the purer chroma and highlighted area on the neon striping to pop out, which gives the tube the illusion of being lit,” Blessing explains. “I do all this intuitively. I have always had a unique way of seeing color, and my work is an expression of how I literally see the world.”
Action Plan, oil on canvas, 30 x 38 in.
He will be exhibiting new works in a solo show titled Neon West at Altamira Fine Art’s Scottsdale, Arizona, location. The exhibition will hang from December 10 to 21, with an opening reception on Thursday, December 12, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Highlights include Game, Set, Match, a piece that captures the quintessential independent American spirit, depicting American actor Gary Cooper lighting a cigarette. “America is a nation of competitive people, and we tend to love the gamification of everything. I chose a young, self-assured Gary Cooper to symbolize the confidence to make one’s own choices boldly. It’s as if he is telling the world, ‘I got this no matter what, and I’m calling a decisive win in advance,’” says Blessing.
Game, Set, Match, oil on canvas, 40 x 32 in.
In It’s Come To This, a man in a glowing red cowboy hat draws a neon blue firearm in what appears to be a do-or-die situation. “[This piece] epitomizes the breaking point in a tense situation. The image is meant to capture the moment of truth, those critical moments in life when we must put everything on the line for a cause that transcends us,” says the artist.
A Consuming Resolve, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in.
“These paintings touch on some of the predominant themes in my work: courage and grit,” he continues. “I think we all wonder if we’ll have what it takes to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles if our backs are to the wall. It’s why we love underdogs in sports and heroes in stories. I like to believe the human spirit is indomitable. People are amazing. We always seem to find a way to prevail.” —
Altamira Fine Art 7038 E. Main Street » Scottsdale, AZ 85251 » (480) 949-1256 » www.altamiraart.com
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