Artist in Residence 2015-2016

I am an illustrator, working largely with inks, watercolor, and digital media. I will graduate in December 2015 from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, with a BFA in Illustration, and a minor in Japanese. During my time at UWEC I spent a semester studying in Nagasaki Japan, which had a profound influence on my life, and inspired a new dedication to my artwork. I take pride in being a single father.  My son is now 12 years old, and wants to spend his future making art, and his present playing video games.  My other influences include Art Nouveau, Realism, Fantasy novels, graphic novels, and film.

My passion is for narrative. I seek to tell a story in my work, whether it be a graphic novel or single image, and keep the viewer interested. By interested, I really mean enthralled beyond reason. I seek to impart a sense of belief in the worlds I create on paper that can raise my viewers up on the lightest clouds of high fantasy, or crush them down under the boot of dramatic horror. Whichever the case, I want the viewer to live the story I’m telling, at least for a little while.

-Michael Gehrke
 
 
Michael is a student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire studying Art, emphasizing in illustration, with a minor in Japanese.  During his time at UWEC he was president of the Art Student Association, worked as Creative Director of the campus TV station Tv10, and spent a semester studying abroad in Nagasaki, Japan.  He will be graduating in December, 2015 and plans on eventually teaching English in Japan for a year, bringing with him his 12 year old son Gabriel, and his girlfriend Jessie.  He loves art and wants to work as a professional illustrator, using his artwork to create visual narratives of the stories he creates.