After a career in advertising, Mike Hoyt began his art career about 25 years ago. He is an associate member of Oil Painters of America. Taking a page from impressionist painters and others, such as Edward Hopper and New England’s “Ashcan School,” Mike likes to capture simple, everyday subjects, including figures and still lifes.
The Jacksonville, Florida, native who now calls Raleigh, N.C., home began drawing and painting at a young age. He studied design as part of advertising studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and poked around with painting for a few years before becoming serious about it.
He has studied with notable artists including Lois Griffel of the Cape Cod School of Art, at the Scottsdale Artists School under award-winning plein-air figurative artist, Peggi Kroll-Roberts, PPA founder Kevin MacPherson, Kenn Backhaus, and Kim English.
In recent years, Mike has taught art workshops in North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida.
He prefers plein air painting, but has studios in Taos, New Mexico and Raleigh.
Mike’s work is collected by individuals and companies in the U.S. and Europe. His paintings have been exhibited in museums including the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Franklin G. Burroughs – Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach, S.C. His work has also been featured in a number of publications.
Statement
To me, painting is all about making ordinary objects come alive with color and light. Nothing fancy, just bold colors and interesting shapes fashioned into a kind of visual poetry.