Although Michael Rees lives and works in Cornwall, he subscribes to none that is labelled ‘Cornish’ in the art world.
He is self-taught, his style is all his own. The appreciation of Michael Rees’ work could be compared to eating an oyster for the first time. Caution is over-ruled by the surprises that confront you, as you look deeper, you discover Rees’ world. Michael’s work is not pretty; the paint is moulded, sculpted, dragged and scratched to reveal layers of history belonging to the personality of the painting.
The subjects are not easy; figures illuminate their peculiar landscapes. An intense and fraught atmosphere is created, was it an act of violence or passion, or both? The sentiments are held in suspended animation as beautiful as a drop of rain on a spider’s web, with all the fight of the spider and the fly.