Mike Wise

About Mike Wise

Palette-knife landscapes from a former stockbroker’s barn

Mike Wise is an American painter born in 1973.

“Mike grew up an outdoor enthusiast, surrounded by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Throughout his life, the extraordinary coastlines and mountains, as well as the beautiful backroads and farmland of the American landscape have provided endless inspiration for his work.”

Mike Wise’s approach to representational art is based in impressionism and abstract design with loose brushwork and extensive use of palette knife, and the result is a painting with movement and energy, rich in color, texture, and a distinct three-dimensional feel that draws the viewer deep into the painted image.

Mike Wise grew up an outdoor enthusiast, surrounded by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and throughout his life the extraordinary coastlines and mountains, as well as the beautiful backroads and farmland of the American landscape have provided endless inspiration for his work.

Mike Wise began his professional career in the financial industry as a stockbroker, but ever since he was a child he had a passion for art, and Mike Wise attributes much of this passion to his grandfather, a painter who would produce bold, oversized paintings of landscapes and wild animals that captivated him from the time he was a boy.

Mike Wise studied art informally while pursuing a financial career, and it was while working in downtown Seattle as a securities broker that he made the decision to pursue a full-time career in fine art, and Mike Wise went on to study under several prominent painters, has learned from many of his contemporaries, and is an avid student of the Old Masters.

Mike Wise lives on Whidbey Island near Seattle, where he paints and teaches in an old barn on the family property that he converted to a modern studio, and he enjoys painting and teaching oil painting workshops in studio and en plein air, and he feels honored to be a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionist Society.

• Born in 1973 in the United States.
• His style is based on impressionism and abstract design.
• He uses loose brushwork and palette knife extensively.
• He was a stockbroker before becoming a full-time artist.
• He is a Signature Member of OPA and AIS.

Mike Wise’s lush landscapes and sculptural use of oils have made him a prominent figure in contemporary American painting, and his work is celebrated for its rich color, texture, and ability to evoke the beauty of the natural world, reflecting his deep connection to the Pacific Northwest.

Art Category Fact: The Pacific Northwest has a distinct artistic tradition, characterized by a focus on the region’s dramatic landscapes, forests, and coastlines, and it has produced notable artists such as Emily Carr, Mark Tobey, and Morris Graves, whose work reflects the spiritual and natural beauty of the area, influencing later generations of landscape painters like Mike Wise.

“The artist’s job is to be a witness to his time and to the beauty of the world.” Robert Henri

You can see what Mike’s working on in his barn studio these days over on his official website, mikewisestudio.com.