Art Forms

In the lead-up to Michael Carson’s upcoming show at Bonner David Galleries, we dropped by his Phoenix home to see his new work, and as he walked us up to a second-floor studio that overlooks his backyard and the Phoenix skyline, we had to shuffle through a thin layer of wood chips, the result of a recent tangent into wood carving, that were directly in front of his studio door.

- Michael Carson

Inside the studio were more surprises: a half-finished clay figure on a pedestal, designs for furniture, a small music corner—with drums, guitar, keyboard and recording equipment—and, as expected, an area dedicated to an easel and his paints. In every corner of his studio, even outside of it, Carson was devoting himself to the art of creation, in one form or another.

“I’ve been breaking up the painting with sculpting and wood carving. I enjoy experimenting with different surfaces, whether it’s carving, making music, designing furniture. It’s all a diversion that keeps the painting fresher,” Carson says, adding that, although he’s been working in many mediums, his new show will be exclusively paintings. “Right now with my painting I’m just trying to maintain the looseness and movement from the first half hour of painting. As soon as I get into the detail I get to a place where it’s not as active. So I’m trying to evolve my style where I can maintain that initial freshness and gestural feel, as well as a sense of freedom and movement as well.”