Upcoming: Arch Enemy Arts, Philadelphia, PA. Preview Release May 23, 2024. Opening Reception June 7th, 2024.

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Ever since I was a child I can remember looking up at the stars and being fascinated by the concept of infinity and the existence of everything. I imagined that even if the universe was just empty space, how could that even exist? Isn't empty space still something? Then my mind felt like it hit a wall and could go no further. This is the place where my paintings come from - somewhere between reality and mystery.

Micah Ofstedahl Arts: Surreal, biological landscape paintings

Combining biology and other realms of science with mystery and imagination.

My focus is to explore the next level of human advancement through nature-inspired surreal paintings. It is human-nature to be curious, to learn, and to evolve. This evolution materializes into new ideas, discoveries, and technology. But where do the ideas come from, and what are they leading to? I believe they begin with an inspiration from nature. The inspiration facilitates our imagination which leads to new ideas, and new ideas lead to solving a problem. This is why my paintings are a blend of unique, inspiring elements of nature and imagination. I paint the relationships of the known with the unknown, conscious with subconscious, and real with surreal. In doing so, I hope to reveal to others the hidden wonders of nature and unleash their inspiring power. We may seem separate from nature at times, but we are just another part of it. We can, however, continue to grow and progress while keeping this in mind.

More specifically, I use elements of nature that typically go unseen and are lesser known. They are unusual, mysterious, and most importantly, inspiring. They are often microscopic such as single-cell radiolarians, the facets of a bee's eye, or our anatomy right down to the cellular level and beyond. They are the subjects of biology and science that are still on the edge of exploration, from the neurons in our brains to the fabric of the universe. They appear surreal, but are in fact real. Mixed with the imaginative, surreal elements of the painting it makes us question what is real and what is not?

-Micah Ofstedahl