ABOUT: Michael Brehm
I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in the late '70s. In 1980 I moved to Chicago. I eventually found a home for my art on the printed page.
From 1978–1993 I participated in one of the longest running collectively operated artists magazines: ArtPolice.
In the 1990s I started Storyhead Magazine with writer Joe Peterson, author of the book "Beautiful Piece".
Storyhead was a self published magazine of illustrated stories for which I did all the design and most of the illustration.
In 2006 I self published "Alter Ego" a collection of drawings and collages which was included in AIGA's (The American Institute of Graphic Arts) "50 books 50 Covers" competition for 2007.
In 2010 I self published three graphic books: "Little Town Circus", "St. Catherine Street", and "Tender Buds, Bitter Ends". Some of the drawings in these books are hanging on the walls of the gallery as drawings.
I work as a book designer at the University of Chicago Press.
Artist's statement:
"My art comes out of my own personal day to day struggles and emotional narrative. I arrive at much of my imagery by making scores of automatic, stream of consciousness drawings, then edit and redraw those containing glimmers of form that resonate emotionally. I think that the imagery that comes from this gleaning process speaks in a universal way to a larger audience. When I choose to draw from life, I find images that converse metaphorically with internal questions that I am struggling with or which fascinate or befuddle me. Much of my work deals with the transience and fragility of relationships, doubt, expectations, the melancholy surrounding memory and my efforts to sort truth from varnish."
From 1978–1993 I participated in one of the longest running collectively operated artists magazines: ArtPolice.
In the 1990s I started Storyhead Magazine with writer Joe Peterson, author of the book "Beautiful Piece".
Storyhead was a self published magazine of illustrated stories for which I did all the design and most of the illustration.
In 2006 I self published "Alter Ego" a collection of drawings and collages which was included in AIGA's (The American Institute of Graphic Arts) "50 books 50 Covers" competition for 2007.
In 2010 I self published three graphic books: "Little Town Circus", "St. Catherine Street", and "Tender Buds, Bitter Ends". Some of the drawings in these books are hanging on the walls of the gallery as drawings.
I work as a book designer at the University of Chicago Press.
Artist's statement:
"My art comes out of my own personal day to day struggles and emotional narrative. I arrive at much of my imagery by making scores of automatic, stream of consciousness drawings, then edit and redraw those containing glimmers of form that resonate emotionally. I think that the imagery that comes from this gleaning process speaks in a universal way to a larger audience. When I choose to draw from life, I find images that converse metaphorically with internal questions that I am struggling with or which fascinate or befuddle me. Much of my work deals with the transience and fragility of relationships, doubt, expectations, the melancholy surrounding memory and my efforts to sort truth from varnish."
