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Delray Beach artist Michael Blumenthal lives in a world of vivid colors and rapid expansion. His otherworldly oil paintings capture the essence of animals and air with an occasional hint of blue sky. Michael brings to life wild, bizarre lost worlds that exist only in his fertile imagination. You could say Blumenthal has a fantastical perspective of the world.
The 33 year old Florida resident is, however hesitant to categorize his style. "I can't really decide what style I have... I guess you could call it 'Newism.' Perhaps it is pop art, cubism and surrealism. I'm not limited by any rule, and my art is constantly changing,"
This emerging artist has always seemed to defy limitations. He fondly remembers the time he was expelled from kindergarten, and admits that he spent the better part of his early education sketching cartoons while in class. But it was during his years at the Ringling School of Design that his mind and his artist hand really took shape.
Since his graduation in 1998, Michael has been creating large oil paintings (five to eight feet tall) of people, places and things that just pop out of his imagination. When asked what his inspiration was for the eye popping surreal Cheetah painting called "Double Whammy," Blumenthal was circumspect, but definitive.
"I see an image of the whole painting before my eyes and then I paint it. Part of me does not want to explain my work; I just want people to use their imagination. I also want them to be happy when looking at it," said the aspiring surrealist.
Creating art is what motivates and designates Michael’s time on Earth. In addition to painting, Michael is completing the production of several books. One book, called “Blumentoons” takes children of all ages on a whimsical tour of Michael’s imaginative world.
Michael Blumenthal currently lives in Delray Beach, FL with his wife Julie and son Alexander.
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