The works of Michael Royce could be seen as collages that combine various seemingly-unrelated subjects and makes them share the same space. The only thing is that they are not collages—they’re actually acrylic paintings.
Royce takes the idea of collages and translates them to canvas. His paintings are a mix of weird figures, abstract scenes, and objects that seem like they have no place there. But this is what actually makes them fascinating.
Each of Royce’s paintings prompts the viewer to spend time exploring the work and try to find an underlying common thread between all the different things they see in a single frame.
“Characters swoop and swim through various tableaux as references from van Eyck and Dürer clang against Bugs Bunny and Lisa Frank, all the while attempting to cohere in their own off-kilter logic,” Royce shared in a recent interview.
Royce is currently a teacher in the art department at Virginia Commonwealth University. In the past years, he received multiple awards and recognitions for his works, including David Wurtzel Memorial Fellowship. His paintings were also displayed in galleries across the U.S., most recently at Headstone Gallery in Kingston and Ada Gallery in Richmond.
