Michael Munch

I’m originally from East Stroudsburg, PA and currently reside in Easton, PA. I was fortunate enough to grow up next-door to my grandmother, who was a great artist. When I was about five years old she put a paintbrush in my hand and we started painting together. I’ve been doing it ever since!

Most people, even those who know me, would never guess that I’m an artist.

I’ve been a police officer for the past seventeen years. I’ve also spent over twenty years in the army, on both active duty and in the reserve component. I’ve been to many foreign countries and U.S. states. I’ve seen some amazing things, met some great people, and had plenty of wonderful experiences. All of this has helped shape the way I view things as an artist.

My influences are Rembrandt, Vladimir Gorsky, Gilbert Stuart, Eugene Delacroix, Thomas Gainsborough, and Frank Frazetta. While each of these artists created art in very different ways, I have found something in each of their works that inspires and motivates me in my own art.

Because I enjoyed art so much growing up, I took every art class I could find in high school. But in many ways, I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m not the typical artist who went to art school or worked as an understudy to another great artist. I think that helps me as an artist – if you don’t know the “right way” to do something, you can never do it wrong. I’ve been doing it that way for a long time and it seems to be working out OK.

Artist Statement
I have always loved to create new things, whether through painting, drawing, or some other type of media. For me, the subject matter needs to mean something; I
need to have some connection to it on an emotional level. I have always been inspired to create a new piece of art based upon an emotional response to something – it could be a person, a place, a scene, a piece of music, or just the “feel” of something. My emotional response to that thing is what inspires me to create art. It could be anything – joy, sadness, curiosity, fear, anger. Anything. But once I experience that feeling, it creates a connection with the subject matter. This is what motivates me to continue to create new art