J U R O R ' S I N F O

m i k e y

w e l s h

Mikey Welsh is an internationally recognized self-taught painter living in Burlington, VT. His work is distinct, bold, aggressive and he is widely known for large-scale figures and more recently, intense abstracts. Welsh attacks his canvases with pure spontaneity and aggression, almost never using a brush and preferring to work only with his hands and fingers. This technique gives him the opportunity to get as close and "inside" to his paintings as he needs to be. For him, this is a necessity. Welsh also works in sculpture, working with found objects. Constructing creatures out of broken and dismantled chairs and furniture, to vacuum hoses, tupperware, wire, and rope. All painted with his usual explosion of color.

His collectors span the globe and include artists, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and musicians. Mikey Welsh is a pinnacle artist on the Outsider Art scene and his mixed-media, mural and live-paintings have grown to be a vivid part of the action sports culture.

The Boston Globe has called Welsh's artwork "manic, edgy, and masculine...Welsh handles his brush confidently, and his paintings read as if he sliced open a metaphorical vein and poured blood and soul onto the canvas."

bio

Mikey's mother, who is a classically-trained painter, immersed him in art from a young age. Starting with watercolors and collage, Mikey continued to work on art until the age of 19, at which point he started his music career. By the age of 30, he had achieved spotlight-status as the bassist for Weezer, and after suffering a nervous breakdown, he dedicated himself to painting full-time. Since 2001, Mikey has had several successful solo exhibitions, selling his work to collectors and working private commissions.

Website

Blog

Facebook