Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Finnegan.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was made in Hawaii and raised on the Chesapeake Bay and Oahu. I’ve lived and worked in Seattle, Washington and on Deer Isle, Maine. My studio is a short walk to Lake Michigan. This connection to water, light, and color influence my work. Also, a big chunk of my being is music. A typical 70’s kid with a passion for Hendrix and the electric guitar brought me to Berklee College of Music. There, I realized that I don’t listen to music as much as I see it. I hear color. It’s physical to me. Sound is something I can touch. I spent my early professional life as a stair builder and carpenter. Ultimately, holding something I made is why I fell in love with carpentry. These life experiences fuse together in my art. I’ve worked long and hard at finding and developing my own creative Path. I love art and music and I’m proud of my determined efforts to live a life making art. People often say kids and family ruin art careers.
My story proves that trope wrong. I’m lucky to be in a supportive marriage and raising kids just made me change the way I approach making art. By the time my kids were in high school I was driving them to their school activities and creating commissioned works for Price Waterhouse Cooper, Grant Thornton, Neiman Marcus, and BMO Harris Bank. 30 years after leaving Berklee College of Music to become a visual artist, I find myself connecting through my art with musicians like the Grammy award-winning guitarist and composer Bill Frisell. Over 25 years ago, I was hand delivering my paintings via Greyhound Bus to an East Village gallery in New York City and now, I’m shipping commissioned artworks around the country and as far away as Hawaii.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I feel very lucky to be an artist. As an artist, I have faced some challenges but they have been minor obstacles compared to the serious problems people face in our world. That’s not to say becoming an artist is easy. Like many artists, I’ve worked hard to create and maintain a life dedicated to making art. You learn soon enough that committing to being an artist is a dicey way to secure a sustainable spot in our society. I worked as a carpenter for 20 years and that turned out to be a great choice as a day job. A teacher once told me to be careful about what you pick as your day job… because you might get good at it. That’s good advice. I use carpentry in the studio all the time. I wasn’t the best student growing up. Managing school work was confusing but I always felt comfortable making art and I’ve always been inspired by music. In some way being diagnosed with dyslexia as a kid probably shaped how I define and live my life as an artist. Not understanding how to read or write well at an early age forces you to look for alternative ways to explore ideas and express yourself.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’m simply looking for a way to engage with life through art.
As an Artist, I look for ways to interact and engage with the sensations and experiences that I find interesting and compelling. I love music and I love art and I want to be in it. I want to participate with all that great work out there. I try to pay attention to things that move me. Sometimes, those experiences are ordinary and simple and sometimes, I don’t understand what’s happening. Maybe they are profound moments or maybe they are just common events, but something is resonating. Often, when I listen to music, I get an idea and I follow it. I look for the colors and shapes of rhythm and sound. I think Adobe Illustrator is great for playing with certain colors and shapes and I know carpentry so I use those tools. I enjoy using my hands and I paint on wooden forms and shapes that I build and bend. But, what I’d really like to do, is swim, float and live inside color and sound. I suppose we already live there sometimes. I just want to keep that going.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I was lucky to be born into a secure stable and loving family. I’m lucky to have a great wife. I’m lucky to have wonderful kids. I’m lucky to be healthy… the list goes on and on.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.michaelfinneganart.com
- Phone: 773-213-2580
- Email: michaelfinneganart@gmail.com
- Instagram: @michaelfinneganart
Image Credit:
Nathan Keay
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