Michael Wein: The Grass is Greener
Alexis Ahrling
It’s often said people come to Aspen for the winter, but stay for summer. In artist Michael Wein’s case, the opposite is true. Wein, a Houston born, Aspen-based artist, was lucky enough to spend his summers here while growing up, and it deeply influenced his life and his work.
“Spending a significant time in Aspen makes you realize that nature and becoming one with it is imperative. You can’t take nature for granted,” he said.
His show, “The Grass is Greener” at the One Hour Ahead Gallery, is a testament to that philosophy. His work is a kaleidoscope of color and texture that plays tricks on the eyes. He is self-taught and revels in not being bound by a traditional art background.
Alexis Ahrling
Wein describes his work as an “eclectic, post-abstract style that marries an unconventional and complicated layered acrylic technique that involves maneuvering a canvas to create a prismatic flow.”
Each piece in the collection takes the viewer on a journey into a different aspect of nature, both in color and texture. Many of his pieces are reminiscent of the inside of a geode or geological striations and tend to encourage a psychedelic experience, whether figurative or literal.
Alexis Ahrling
The work is well-placed in the One Hour Ahead Gallery, a modern, second-floor gallery that is flooded with natural light, boasting a view of both Red Mountain and Aspen Mountain. The walls are white, the floors concrete. This is important to the artist because he was looking for a space that would “display his work in a clear, clean, open way that would not distract from the art itself,” he said.
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He credits the love and support of his beloved grandparents, well-known Houston philanthropists and avid contemporary art collectors, Minnette and Jerome Robinson, for his appreciation of the power of art and his life philosophy.
“I want people to be productive with their life. I want them to do things and think outside the box and not be prohibited by societal norms,” he said.
What: Michael Wein, The Grass is Greener
When: Now through Nov. 1
Where: One Hour Ahead Gallery, Aspen
Sarah Girgis is the Arts and Entertainment Editor for The Aspen Times. She can be reached at 970-429-9151 or sgirgis@aspentimes.com.
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