Mike Rooney

Suite 4

I love to paint. I love to capture the essence of a three dimensional
scene in two dimensions. It's my passion.

I recall an early interest in art, beginning with drawing and painting
as a child – a passion that has continued all my life. A native of
Alexandria, Va., I studied art at Virginia Commonwealth University
in Richmond,Va., before joining the armed forces. The Air Force
brought me to eastern North Carolina in 1977 and after three
years and a tour in Korea, I opened a sign business in Goldsboro, NC.
Though I made my living with a brush painting signs, my fine art
interests took a backseat to building a business and raising a family.

I rediscovered my passion for painting after seeing California style
impressionism in one of my surfing magazines. I was hooked.

My previous style had been tight and realistic, but what I was
seeing in the surf magazines left more to the viewers imagination.
Details were left out, and it was loose and exciting to look at. So I
picked up some oils and a canvas, and a few books on plein air (outdoor)
painting. In one of those books it said- to become a proficient
plein air painter you should try to block-in (lay in the large shapes
and colors) one hundred paintings in less than 3 months, even if
they can't be finished. I did the hundred "starts" (as they are called), and
I can't seem to shake the habit, even now, creating over 150 finished
paintings a year. I have now studied with renowned plein air painters
John Silver and Rick McClure.

I mostly work in acrylics because of my fast paced
lifestyle, painting mostly near the coast.

Mike Rooney

ART STUDIO 102 102 N. John St. Goldsboro, NC 27530

Resident Artists