21 Under 31 | Michael Griffin

By Bonnie Gangelhoff

ART EDUCATION: I was an art minor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. Then I studied to become a commercial artist but decided to focus on fine art. I moved to Jackson Hole, where I took Scott Christensen’s workshop. I also studied with Matt Smith and Ralph Oberg.
STYLE: I’m influenced by realism, but I’m trying to keep it looser and painterly.
MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT THE WAY YOU WORK: I go on site and do plein-air studies and then do pencil sketches. I also use a layering process, covering everything. I may leave a painting for a few months before reworking it.
SECOND-CHOICE CAREER: Writer.
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED: Paint what inspires you. Don’t paint something in an attempt to make a sale.
CREATIVE SPARK: Music. Also seeing great art. When I lived out west I went to the National Museum of Wildlife Art to look at the Carl Rungius pieces again and again.
PRICE RANGE: $800 to $4,500.
GALLERIES: Jack Dennis’ Wyoming Gallery, Jackson, WY; Bennett Galleries, Nashville, TN; www.michaelgriffinstudio.com.

Featured in our annual “21 Under 31” article & was our cover artist in September 2009