Author: Mike Schick

This painting captures another perspective on Miller Woods Pond, a place that continues to inspire me with its shifting moods and hidden complexities. What drew me here was the intricate tangle of tree limbs, some arching boldly across the water, others dissolving gently into their reflections on the pond’s still surface. In the foreground, I […]

From the top of Astoria, most visitors turn their gaze north toward the iconic bridge spanning the Columbia River. But looking south reveals a quieter beauty: another river winding its way through the hills, just visible as it peeks through the trees. On the day I painted this, the sky pressed low with soft gray […]

Painted during my grad school years, this view from my Shadyside apartment window carries with it the weight of a difficult time. I was feeling low and decided to let the mood pour into the canvas. It’s one of the few paintings I painted alla prima — thick, direct strokes of oil laid down in […]

I created *Epitaph* in the 1970s while in graduate school, in my little Shadyside apartment in Pittsburgh. On the day it was born, I had played hooky and wandered into the Carnegie Museum. The Egyptian exhibit stopped me in my tracks—those ancient walls, carved with memory, seemed to breathe permanence. I left the museum determined […]

A quiet ribbon of water winds its way toward Haag Lake, glimpsed faintly in the distance. The creek slips through dense foliage, carrying with it reflections of the sky, flashes of blue caught between greens and shadows. In this painting, the moment feels both intimate and expansive—an ordinary stream transformed into a luminous pathway of […]

In Oregon, you can drive along the Little Nestucca River most of the way to the coast.The narrow road winds around like the river, and there are numerous places to pull over and enjoy the scenery.I captured this look in the Spring when the flow was strong. *Oil on canvas, 16×20 – $350*

Fogarty Creek in full bloom is a sight that never fails to stop me in my tracks. I’ve walked this creek countless times, but on that first morning, the place seemed touched by something rare and fleeting—light, color, and vitality all joining together in a single moment. I knew I had to try to capture […]

Autumn in Tice Woods captures the fiery glow of a fall morning in the lowlands. On a sunny walk with my grandson, I came upon this scene where the light ignited the grasses and trees in bursts of orange, red, and gold. I knew I had to translate it into oil paint, letting the textures […]