Mic Carlson has been a professional sculptor/artist for 30 years. He has earned respect and notoriety from private collectors, patrons of the art, church leaders and leaders in the Grand Rapids community. In the past 6 years he has permanently installed 5 large public bronze sculptures in the greater Grand Rapids area. The community came together to commission Mic for these monuments that are now destination places for local and visitors from abroad
After a culmination of discussing the design with the sculptor, and raising the funds necessary to move forward, the hard labor involved in constructing the monument, the unveiling of the bronze brings historical pageantry to the site where it now stands. It is an exciting visual and a hands on welcoming experience as it is meant to be seen, touched and cherished.
These intimate bronze sculptures are inspired by events in the life of St. Francis of Assisi. These beautifully crafted bronze statues are located at the 11 acre Saint Francis of Assisi Sculpture Garden at the Dominican Center at Marywood in Grand Rapids Michigan. The Garden trail, conceived and created by sculptor and founder, Mic Carlson, depict St. Francis in postures of prayer, meditation, preaching and interacting with nature. They are placed in areas conducive to quiet reflection and are accompanied by storyboards sharing the life of this inspirational and much-loved saint. These are limited editions bronze available to enhance your private art collection or inspire your meditation or prayerfull surroundings. Visit www.instrumentsofhope.net for more information and directions. Contact Mic for pricing info.
Mic is a commissioned sculptor and works in different mediums and meterials. Bronze sculpture can often be seen adorning the front of commercial buildings, showcased in the center of a park or town square, or set in areas to commemorate important events in history, bringing people and scenes of times long past to life in a way that very few other mediums can. Bronze sculptures can also be a very personal memory to the collector.
Bronze is generally composed of 96 percent copper. The remainder can be made from silicon and a variety of other alloys such as manganese, tin, iron, or zinc. Many historians believe that the bronze alloy was most likely discovered by accident sometime before 3,000 BC.
This art form was lost for centuries but during the Renaissance period bronze sculptures again came to the forefront of art. Another four centuries would pass before the birth of the Industrial Revolution in the mid 19th century. This Industrial Revolution would provide the tools necessary to make bronze sculptures available in editions that would vault them to the top of the art world once again.
Mic’s reliefs are typically traditional but he has discovered the unique ability to combine his painting skills with sculpture.
Bas-relief is a technique as old as humankind's artistic explorations and is closely related to high relief. Some of the earliest known bas-reliefs are on the walls of caves. Petroglyphs were treated with color, as well, which helped to accentuate the reliefs.
Cold Casting can be carried out in any studio, with basic equipment and skills, so the artist can have 100% input in the finished piece from inception to completion.
Epoxy resins, bronze powder, gypsum are most suitable for cold casting,
A cold cast sculpture would be a much lower cost of a bronze. There are several factors influencing cost, but as in most production processes it comes down to the basics, materials and labour. For the most part these sculptures look nearly the same as cast bronze. They will very in weight and durability.
Mic and St. Francis met one afternoon in 1995 at the Church of San Damiano in Assisi, Italy. It is certain their personalities are similar and ever growing together. Francis, world known man of peace, with his unconditional love for God and all creation is alive more than ever today, not only in the inspiration of Mic's continuing creativity, but in people all over the world. The eager fascination of people to know more about this patron saint of ecology and animals is fascinating.
Francis' philosophy on brotherhood and his teachings of the gospel make him one of the most beloved spiritual teachers.
Giclee Limited Edition and canvas prints are available. Please visit the prints gallery.
Mic’s Landscape paintings have been primarily created in his studio using his photographs that represent places he has traveled, And gives the viewer an insight into the artist. If the original painting is available it will show price.
By the late nineteenth century, some of the world’s most beloved landscapes were being painted by artists like Van Gogh and Monet, practicing the technique of en plein air, or painting outdoors. Now that pre-mixed paints were readily available, the artists could travel outdoors to paint amidst a more natural setting. Mic has painted a few painting on location and dreams of doing more.
Mic never limits his possibilities and continues to develop ideas. This can be seen in his vast and eclectic array of styles. Here you see a collection of colorful images in contemporary styles.
If the original painting is available it will show price.
Portraits are works of art that record the likenesses of humans or animals that are alive or have been alive. The purpose of a portrait is to memorialize an image of someone for the future. It can be done with painting, photography, sculpture, or almost any other medium.
Portraits capture our history as we know it, as we grow with it. Portraits are not just for the rich anymore and there not about ego. They are a reminder of our humanity just like a photograph but created by unique individuals.
Contemporary Portraits are my way of expressing the subject or subjects personality through intense color or capturing there personality through a transparent montage of a sample of there life.
Some of my portraiture is also created by purely for the sake of creating art, rather than working on commission. The human body and face are fascinating subjects that I llike to study in my personal work.
A Still Life is a work of art, a drawing or painting (usually) of a group of objects. Objects do not move, hence the word 'still'. In the past these objects tended to be flowers or objects. Flowers are one of Gods special gifts and an endless source of inspiration.
Reverse Glass Painting (also known as Verre eglomise or 'hinterglasmalerei') - where the painting is painted on one side and then viewed from the other side.
Reverse glass painting has a long history in European Painting where it has been known since the 14th century as a traditional painting technique.
If the original painting is available it will show price.
Mic likes color and shapes and gives the viewer a look into there own curiosity.
Abstract art is a form of art in which an object or a form is developed in either a simplified way or an exaggerated manner. Abstract art is one of the major forms of art design which attracts a wide variety of people and art lovers.
The definition. Abstraction literally means the distancing of an idea from objective referents. That means, in the visual arts, pulling a depiction away from any literal, representational reference points. You can also call abstract art nonrepresentational art.