"Whatever holds itself at a distance from us is also welcoming."William Hazlitt wrote that and I don't remember where I read it, though I spent a little time trying to find a book by him, but never did. This idea has been a major inspiration for my painting. Color “In color theory, cool temperatures recede and warm temperatures come forward. This creates the illusion of space on a two dimensional surface. I've always felt the deeper the space the more we want to get to the back of it. I have always loved the horizon like the oldest friend I have. Also, when using temperature in colors to create space, I have thought that possibly uncomfortable images may become moreinteresting by merely placing them in space. Creating a push and pull within and around them, putting distance, a realistic, believable distance behind such an image would make a viewer wish to get to the back of it, passing what is first on the way.” Why nude? Why male or female?“I can try to defend my decisions after they are made in some attempt at intellectualizing the paintings, but the truth is that no attempt was made previous to the action of mark to paper. If a painting is successful and unlabored in appearance, usually more graceful with emotions, then I will have no luck in recalling what was going through my mind. At its best, I awake before a painting I have not seen before or conceived of in my mind previous to painting. It sounds hokey--of course, not all my paintings are so fluid, but those which are not feel a bit stiff. I claim that I don't know what any said piece is specifically about. I work and an image comes. It may be transformed many times. I don't deny influences: visual, emotional, etc. This is why I also choose not to title most of my work--it becomes too influential. I would rather have a viewer bring his/her own experiences to a painting.” Born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Michael Alderson received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1992. He currently lives and works in Maine.