Contemporary Impressionism by Michael O’Toole

Michael O’Tula was born in 1963 in the city of Vancouver (Canada), in one of the largest provinces of British Columbia. His childhood was spent among the beauties of the canyon of Capilano. The beauty of nature enthralled Michael so much that he decided to capture everything on canvas and paper. This was the first vivid emotional experience of the future artist, and an immense love of nature settled in his heart.

His mother was at one time a very famous artist, and all his childhood was connected with canvases, paints and palette knives. Observing how my mother works, I studied technique, methods, and at the same time developed my methods. A few years later, his main passion was architecture, which prompted him to graduate from high school to enter a technical institute to study architectural design. After graduating for several years, in collaboration with companies, he worked in this field.

After moving to Toronto in 1985, while looking for a job that could combine architecture and painting, he began to create illustrations in the format of a process called rendering.
In 1991, Michael received a prize for "Best Home Design". And in 1992, after returning to Vancouver, he devotes one of his working days to art. This day is turning in his life. He actively begins to write in a wide range of techniques, from acrylic, oil, pen, ink and ending with airbrushing and gouache.

The scope of his interests in the fine arts was also wide: landscape, sea and city landscape, architecture and portrait. All of them were created in an impressionistic manner. His work received immediate recognition. Fans of his art were amazed by the colors, texture, and the effect of light in his works.

This material is most harmoniously suited to its vibrant and dramatic style. The works amaze with their complex light, texture and color. As Michael himself writes: his paintings are a balance of emotions and technical skill.
In 2001, Michael was elected a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists.
His favorite technique is acrylic painting. He can easily and confidently use color in his work. The purity of tones, bright and large contrasts create a strong impression among the audience. His work is an example of the fact that painting is strong precisely in color, which so strongly affects perception. Indeed, the acceptance and rejection of a particular picture is determined to a greater extent in the first instants of its contemplation precisely by the effect of color. And only then, composition and content come to the background, which are a complement, emphasizing the details, enhancing the effect, like music. It is in the first instant that the viewer determines “mine” or “not mine”.

Mike's works are published in the most famous and popular publications, are very popular in galleries around the world.