Michael McGrath (b. 1977) is a Rhinebeck, NY-based artist and painter whose work blends, mysticism, mythology, and folklore, often featuring ghosts, skulls, and nature. He creates in the Hudson Valley, utilizing a combination of oil, oil pastel, acrylic and colored pencil to explore themes of life, death, and the subconscious in a style reminiscent of naive art. Though Michael studied sculpture and fabrication in college, he lacked the patience for the traditional techniques taught in his painting classes. He ultimately taught himself by working intuitively. His work addresses common childhood fears - storms, volcanos, monsters and bugs, which all appear in numbers. These fears often morph into other, more adult fears that act as shadow muses; enochlophobia (fear of crowds), agoraphobia, the fear of god(s), uncertainty, and ultimately the fear of death all factor in. Michael expresses these fears and unanswered questions as images and symbols in his work - sometimes they are connected through sightlines, sometimes they are floating, and sometimes they are fully integrated. Michael's belief regarding spirits, gods, magic and mysticism seems to be like pantheism - the divine and mystery of the world must be fully present within nature. This is evident in his representation of nature and her creatures - sometimes cryptic sometimes straight forward, but always intriguing. An ominous landscape is tempered by the neon shocks in his palette, bringing levity to work; and though the work frequently touches on the afterlife and death, it is with a sense of hope. The incorporated symbols - cats, ghosts, eyes, and disembodied body parts, are oddly playful. There is a quiet sense of freedom and a suggestion that time does not exist. Michael has exhibited internationally in Beijing, Germany, Brussels, and across New York (including Kingston and NYC). He has been featured in multiple publications and interviews. This is his first show with Carver Hill Gallery.