A multimedia artist with a self-proclaimed obsession with paper, Berkeley based Michael Cutlip draws on the raw energy of urban life when crafting his mixed media works. Mixing found paper and paint on panels, the artist creates abstract compositions that highlight the juxtaposition of color, form, and texture.
Cutlip considers his practice in many ways to be self-taught. Heavily influenced by graffiti and street art, his works showcase metropolitan life as seen through an abstract lens. Representational associations fade away as thick layers of paper and paint come together in an effortless balance of color and texture. Conceived in both individual and multipanel installation works, Cutlip’s collages reconstitute urban detritus into a vibrant reflection of our material environment.
An artist with a following in the Bay Area and beyond, Cutlip’s exhibition history includes shows in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Vancouver, BC, and in 2014, he won the Alameda County Arts Commission Purchase Grant. Cutlip’s work is also featured in the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara.
