**Michael Koehler** was born in 1983. He studied graphic design, graduating in 2006. He worked as an in-house and freelance designer before eventually finding his interests turn to painting. Michael’s work has been shown in galleries across the U.S. including Seattle, San Fransisco, Los Angeles, Portland, and Philadelphia in group and solo shows. He has been featured in publications such as Widewalls, Brut Magazine, Dish Rag Magazine, and Supersonic Art. He currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his partner and studio-mate, Masha.

Michael’s work, which is brought to life by acrylic paint, is inspired by our shifting relationship to nature in an increasingly technologically dependent world. Many pieces attempt to strike a delicate balance between the enchanting allure and latent peril of both the natural and unnatural worlds. An array of robotic and animalistic figures, who are on occasion blended together, forming a being that is both at once plant and machine, inhabit Koehler’s sparse environments. These beings, who are assembled out of an intricate array of wires, tubes, plants and flowers forming into a mosaic of expressions, sit front and center in each surreal portrait. The color palette in each piece leans toward full saturation contrasted by rich black while the forms are general tightly rendered forms within loose shapes.
Instagram : michaelkoehlerart

* This Interview is published in Issue 4

Hi Michael, your artistic journey started in graphic design before transitioning to painting. Can you tell us about the pivotal moment or experience that sparked this shift towards painting and how it has influenced your creative expression?
I was a graphic designer for about eight years, working both in-house and as a freelancer. I would spend hours in front of a computer screen each day creating someone else’s vision—still in a creative capacity, but not as a form of expression. Once I got home, I wanted to create something for myself. I had always been into drawing and sketching growing up and would dabble with painting from time to time with an old set of paints given to me by my uncle. But during the time I worked as a full-time graphic designer, I began to feel the need for a more personal creative outlet. After visiting a few local galleries and taking out art books from the library, I was inspired to create my own work.

I started off with small, somewhat simple paintings of jokes and subjects that amused me—like portraits of people I knew with quotes of things they’d said. I remember a painting I made of my boss with the quote “Yea, I used to skate” scrawled below his portrait, or a piece depicting my car “Gretchen” on fire, titled Oh Gretchen, why’d you have to get hit by that truck?

Over time, my work became more autobiographical, taking inspiration from both my dreaming and waking life. I began showing in galleries in my hometown of Pittsburgh. When I eventually left the field of graphic design, I felt the need for creative expression grow even stronger, so I began painting more—exploring different themes, learning more about my medium, and working to get my art out into the world.

What is your process like? How do you begin to work?
My process now usually begins outside the studio, when I’m not in production mode but instead observing the world around me. Being in nature helps me let go of the internal checklist and become more receptive to what I see and reflect on. I’ll make mental notes, take photos, or jot something down that inspires me. Later, I’ll do several quick thumbnail sketches.

I keep a list of themes and elements that I like to incorporate into my paintings, and I keep those in mind while working on a preliminary sketch for a piece. I’ll assemble reference images for certain aspects of the drawing—especially if it requires accuracy. After the drawing is complete, I’ll transfer it to a panel and begin painting.

The drawing acts as a blueprint for me, but it typically ends up changing somewhere along the way. I like to plan—but I also like to wing it.

Your work explores the shifting relationship between nature and technology in today's world. Could you share your thoughts on this theme and how it is reflected in the fusion of robotic and animalistic figures in your paintings? What message do you hope to convey through these hybrid beings?
This theme has evolved over time. It began as a response to the extraction of natural resources at the expense of ecosystems and the life within them. I imagined a machine that takes and takes until every drop of profitable resource is depleted. That’s what my piece Endless Growth was about—an angry, crowned automaton assembled from wires and neon tubes pulls a helpless anthropomorphic gemstone into its belly, polluting the air around him. Above him looms a bloated, grinning entity in a geometric structure, seemingly unworried and assuring us everything’s fine.

I wanted to express my feelings about climate change and the brazenness of those in power who exploit ecosystems for financial gain. I continued this exploration with Technology Will Save Us, depicting a hooded robotic skeleton with a fallen halo holding the same gemstone creature—appearing as a savior, yet also representative of the dual-edged nature of technology.

This led me to wonder: what would a world look like where technology truly could “save” us? Could nature and innovation coexist? I explored this in Stepchild of Nature, which features a childlike figure with facial features made from plants, fungi, and blooming flowers—held together by wires and pipes feeding it water. The being is surrounded by technology, but it’s alive and growing. I wanted to show that it’s possible to preserve both worlds, that we can remain connected to nature, man-made environments, and even the virtual world. There’s a harmony at play in my work—but it’s precarious. Sometimes, the pendulum swings too far one way.

4. Describe a real-life situation that inspired you.
Like most artists, I’m inspired by the world around me and the people I observe. I think about art throughout the day—whether it’s seeing vine-covered trees around a highway overpass on the way to my studio or dreaming up new painting techniques.

Two recent experiences stand out. First, a visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art left me dazzled by the impressionist wing. I had only seen a handful of such works in real life before. I love how impressionists create depth and light using optical mixing and brushwork—loose but informed strokes that form emotional, dynamic scenes. Since then, I’ve tried to loosen up in my own painting process, though it takes discipline to not get lost in the details.

The second was visiting Skyline Caverns near Shenandoah National Park. The cave system was spectacular—pristine and well preserved. I took reference photos of formations shaped over millions of years. I learned that a delicate balance between water, minerals, and carbon dioxide is needed for these structures to form. Nature’s equilibrium is profound, and I find it deeply inspiring.

5. How has the city you live and work in influenced you and the art you create?
I live in Pittsburgh, PA—a mid-sized city with a big small-town feel. I’m inspired by the rusted bridges, graffitied underpasses, and concrete city steps that speak to the region’s industrial past. Artifacts of the steel industry still dot the city, decaying quietly alongside lush greenery.

Pittsburgh is built at the confluence of three rivers, within a valley of rolling hills, and many undeveloped spaces remain within its neighborhoods. I enjoy the coexistence of urban decay and natural life—how trees and wildlife weave through alleyways, and how you're never far from either. The tension and harmony between these elements are central to my creative vision.

Michael Koehler

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