AFFILIATion ARCHIVES FOR ORIGINAL FINE ART

A Colorado Resort art collection has 125+ pieces of original artwork that includes the artwork of Colorado artist, Michael Gault. During the building of The Arrabelle at Vail Square resort Michael Gault was approached by the resort designer, Beth Slifer of Slifer Designs to supply a large number or original oil paintings featuring Colorado and the Colorado landscape art to be permanently exhibited in the resort. Michael ended up providing over 125 oil paintings of various sizes that were utilized in the suites as well as the common areas of the hotel.

In 1984 Michael was selected to show his art by the Missouri Historical Society as a Natural Resource of Missouri. Michael's work was presented to the Society and was exhibited along with the works by Thomas Hart Benton and Mark Twain was exhibited in the Missouri State Capital rotunda, in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Michael received his MA from UMKC in 1980, under the direction of Eric Bransby. Michael's thesis, "Missouri Skies & Highways" featured on a series of oil paintings, done en plein. air of highways and interstates in the Kansas City area. With the painting series, the written thesis presented information on the concept of  the subject matter and the artist's thoughts and intention through the visual communication.

Michael initially connected with Professor Eric Bransby during the pursuit of his MA from UMKC. Bransby was a renowned muralist who had studied at the Kansas City Art Institute, with Thomas Hart Benton and then at the Broadmoor Art Academy, now the Bemis School of Art at Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College with Boardman Robinson and Jean Charlot. 

Around the year 2000, Michael and Bransby reconnected, when Michael moved to Colorado and the two were involved in various art groups in the Colorado Springs area promoting contemporary art.

In 1976 Michael Gault's contemporary art painting, Reflections Within a Studio's Interior Depicting Light and Space on a Flat Surface, was juried into the Nelson Gallery - Atkins Museum show in Kansas City, MO. The show is open to artist's within a 30 mile radius of the gallery and is sponsored by the Sustaining Members of the Junior League of Kansas City, MO Inc. Sixty eight original artworks were selected for inclusion in the annual even

Michael Gault received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institutein 1976. During his time in that institution he studied primarily under Wilbur Niewald  and Stanley Lewis in his pursuit of the studio degree in painting, Both Wilber and Stan impacted Michael's creative education and empowered him to become a fine artist and not just an artist.

Michael Gault credits Wilbur Niewald chairman of KCAI's painting department, and Gault's painting professor during his years at the Kansas City Art Institute with introducing him to landscape painting through en plein air. Niewald, a renowned Kansas City artist, was recognized nationally for his landscapes and still life paintings. 

Stanley Lewis, a graduate of Wesleyan University and a student of John Frazer, was Michael's senior instructor at KCAI, and the mentor who encouraged Michael to go big and experiment with doing larger painting. The story is that Stan was making his treck around the studio critiquing students work, when he came to Michael who had just finished his latest studio painting. Stan said something along the lines, these studies aren't a challenge for you anymore, you need to do something much bigger. The piece Michael had just finished was a 20 x 24, a common size for the class studies, so Michael asked what Stan was looking for, to which Stan said much bigger. Being a college student with limited funds Michael said he couldn't afford to do it & Stan said I'll give you the canvas, you need to do this. Stan did give Michael a 4 ft x. 5 ft canvas & Michael started work on it immediately. The next week when Stan did his studio visit, Michael was hard at work on the large piece. When Stan came up to Michael he reviewed the painting, and eventually commented, "It's done". Michael disagreed and Stan replied, "You're gonna mess it up", and walked away. The next week when Stan came through and it was Michael's turn Michael said, "I think it's done". Stan carefully looked at the work and agreed saying, "Well at least you didn't mess it up" - you're done for the semester - you've Got an A.

Note:  Michael continued to go the studio class, in spite of that A early in the semester.