- October 27, 2024
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Mike Gleason never had his own art show before. But then again he’s never had an art lesson either.
Gleason’s paintings and pen and ink drawings were shown at the Grand Gallery at Grand Living Realty last month.
Gleason, who is from Michigan, taught math for 38 years. He retired 15 years ago and decided he wanted to paint. He had no art training. He picked up supplies without asking for any advice and began experimenting.
“I did a small amount of oil,” he said. “I gave up on that. Then I started doing pen and ink drawings. Then I picked up some acrylic and I said, ‘this is kind of fun.’ And then I picked up a little bit of oil pastels and I kind of liked them. Whatever and whenever I’m in the mood I just do it. I don’t have any thoughts about what I’m doing before it occurs.”
Gleason said he’s collected art his whole life but never thought about producing any himself until he retired. He’s had some of his art displayed at the Flagler County Art League over the years, but just “one or two here and there,” he said.
“Then I had all this collection,” he said, “and Jan Jackson (Grand Gallery’s curator) asked me if I wanted to display them, and I said, ‘why not?’”
The show contained a wide selection of his work including acrylic paintings of various abstract styles and about 130 pen and ink drawings.
“I paint what I like,” he said. “If I like it I keep it. If I don’t like it, I paint over it. And where do my ideas come from? I couldn’t tell you.”
He does his pen and ink drawings while watching television. “And they just happen,” Gleason said.
“As you can see, I don’t have a distinct style,” he said. “I jump from one to another. During the pandemic I was doing a lot of pen and ink.”
Some of his paintings are in the Jackson Pollack abstract expressionist mold. Others appear to be inspired by Picasso. But he has also done some realism.
“I used to do dog portraits, believe it or not,” he said. “And I did a cover for a book about the life of St. Joseph which was realistic.”
Gleason can’t explain his talent or why he never had the urge to paint or draw earlier in life.
“I attribute it to a gift from God,” he said. “If that is crazy I don’t know.”
