Visual Art – Baltimore

Michael Matthew Bruley was born on March 9th, 1981 in Chestertown Maryland along the Chesapeake Bay. Having Grandparents in Philadelphia, Michael experienced city vibes. His mother Candice was known to paint murals of flowers, rainbows and peace signs inside house walls. His father Michael, had owned a body shop where he quickly learned mixing colors and paints. Having this influence further allowed him to express himself through art. He often painted murals in his childhood room. At the age of 12 a friend of his older brother gave him a four foot canvas, paints and a brush. On this canvas he painted his first painting of a Pegasus flying over a rainbow and mountains. A radiant and elegant gift, for art was very apparent from an early age. Art will go onto become his truest refuge. In second grade Michael was diagnosed with dyslexia. While eventually he learned to cope, this continues to influence his self-esteem and confidence. In turn increases his drive and motivation for art. As a teenager he really took to photography as well as painting and often mixing the two. His love for experimentation has evolved his work in many different directions. Today, his portfolio differs from realism to abstract and one dimension to three dimensional art. During High School, Michael continued to paint and received a scholarship from the Queen Anne’s County Art Council towards his first year at Chesapeake College where he completed his degree in Liberal Arts. In 2002 he started University of the Arts in Philadelphia, in pursuit of pursuing a photography major. After his first year he realized his passion was for painting. After he transitioned to the painting department he felt more confident in his art. At the time he was the first junior to sell a painting for $1,500. There after every summer he would take every painting he created and displayed and sold them across Maryland. He was known as a “fire ball” in college, selling a good bit and speaking his mind. Graduating in 2005, Michael received his Bachelor’s in Fine Art with an emphasis in Art Therapy. The year of 2006 Michael’s life would take a dramatic turn. On his way to register for classes at Temple University he was involved in severe car accident. Which shattered his body. His art came to an abrupt halt. He was heavy medicated on pain medication which became addictive. That life style continued up until his father’s death in 2010. It was then he realized this lifestyle had to come to an end. Like the Phoenix, he pulled himself out of the ashes and with the help of many people he slowly started getting his life back on track. In the summer of 2012, Michael was walking by a Jazz Festival in his home town and got inspired to start painting again. With only red, yellow and black watercolor paints. He was back! Feeling better than ever and with a new view on life, he picked up back where he left off six years prior. In 2016, he decided it was time to dedicate his career to art and being a fulltime artist. The bold colors in Michael’s art express his passion and excitement for life. He is certainly a Jack-of-all-trades. He loves to create and engage his audience with his art. Michael continues to experiment is experimenting with colors and textures which create rich and beautiful work, typically with high contrast. His love for creating art has helped him through the best and worst of times, his self-expressing is prevalent.