Flights of Adventure, Beauty and Imagination: A Solo Exhibition by Mike Mcgoff

I was born in Scranton PA. In 1957, the first of nine children.

From an early age I was attracted to drawing and painting. Some of my earliest memories were of finger painting and wanting to help paint when my uncle and his cousin were painting our house. I was four. Finally, someone let me try painting a small area of the back porch floor. As I remember it didn’t go to well. But, over the years things improved.

In middle school I was always drawing. I started copying simple cartoons and eventually progressed to more complex ones. As time went on, I drew whatever I found interesting. As I progressed my folks encouraged me with private lessons, and as a teen they let me paint my bedroom with murals.

I eventually found my way to college after a tour in the US Coast Guard. I attended Marywood University. I started in Art Education and discovered ceramics as part of the curriculum. What a discovery. I was hooked. Eventually, I changed my major to ceramics and sculpture, receiving a BFA in 86 and an MFA in 89. During these years I also continued to draw and paint under some outstanding professors.

As life progressed after college, I kept up the practice and study of the clay arts. For a short time, I had a studio and gallery which didn’t do well. I eventually lost them. Now without a place to create ceramic sculpture I went back to drawing and painting.

I had tried a couple of drawings with colored pencils during the clay times. The technique seemed to developed rather easily. This media and I meshed perfectly. For years I had been taking photos of things I thought I would make into art at some time. This is where much of the subject matter for my work comes from.

So, this is where I am now, drawing and painting.