Michael McGregor: Seeing Differently
Michael McGregor has been on the road. Over the years, he has lived in New York, Vermont, Louisiana, Wyoming, Texas, and Mexico City. For now, he’s setting down roots in Los Angeles. His work is serotonin-inducing—maybe even downright joyous. Dinner scenes decorated with wine and fruits, imaginative interpretations of jungle animals, simple satisfactions like florals and freshly dry-cleaned shirts are just a few of the visuals you’ll enjoy on his feed. But before he began drawing with pastels, McGregor’s creative work extended far beyond the canvas. He has written for Interview Mag, Document Journal, and The Fader, he has performed at the MoMA’s Sculpture Garden, he concepted and directed The Recreationalist for Outdoor Voices, and much, much more. Here’s what he is up to now.
Photographed by Yuki Kikuchi.
Photographed by Yuki Kikuchi
Megan O’Sullivan: How did you get started?
McGregor: After moving from Brooklyn to Mexico, I started dabbling with pastels. It was a great shattering of the way life looked and felt. Particularly, the colors, being in stark contrast with what I had become accustomed to in New York. The colors of the country, the plants, the architecture, the mercados, everything was in stark contrast to the grey, drab color of life in NYC. Something snapped, and I started to explore mark making with a cavalier use of color. It all happened quite organically. It wasn’t something I set out to do, as much as something that found me, and I went with it.
MO: Where are you from originally and where did your journey as an artist begin?
McGregor: I grew up in the northeast—Connecticut and New Jersey— an hour train ride from Manhattan. I had a pretty good art education in my early schooling and took classes outside school in elementary school but stopped making visual art in high school in favor of other creative pursuits and only returned to it many years later. Partly out of necessity.
MO: Did you ever work other jobs outside of being an artist? Did you have a time of transitioning to creating full-time?
McGregor: Always. Lots of different things. From ghostwriter to delivery guy to VP of Communications. I never thought there was a path to being a full time artist, or rather, I had no idea what that path was (I still don’t really know!) like, how are you gonna pay the rent?! It’s an insane blessing, incredibly humbling to be able to pay the rent and have a studio outside my bedroom, for the first time. I try to make the most of it by always working on stuff— new things that germinate, returning to old themes or series.
MO: What inspires you? Why do you create?
McGregor: Everyday life. I find creating things reminiscent of real life helps me see things “in the world” with more wonder and bliss. Making work helps me become a better observer of the world. Every painting helps me fall in love with the world in a new way.
MO: Do you go through creative ruts/blockages? If so, how do you get to the other side of them?
McGregor: I don’t suffer blockages as much as I go through periods where I’m not that into what I’m making. I tend to go with the flow. That means making a lot of work, dabbling in multiple series or themes at one time. Often moving between different styles, usually to keep myself on my toes. Sometimes it feels inspiring and sometimes it feels meh. Sometimes the meh is revitalized later. Sometimes something that felt soo good doesn’t feel soo good after some time. No idea how to navigate that swing besides just letting it swing and try to focus on making the energy behind the work as vibrant as possible.
MO: What is the most fun you've ever had while creating?
McGregor: Weirdly I’m usually not having fun while creating! The fun happens before and after, what exactly happens while I’m creating I’m not really sure. I’ve recorded videos of myself painting to see what it looks like, to see if there are moments of clarity, but I just observe myself with a scowl on my face, and I look like I’m really not having a good time, though I know I’m never having a bad time.
MO: If you weren't working as an artist, what do you think you'd be doing?
McGregor: I’d work in a flower store. Same as I did in my teens and early twenties. Just delivering flowers to people. Bringing joy door-to-door, and then going on my way.
MO: What do you hope to communicate through your work?
McGregor: That existence, life, in all forms, is magical. And all around us. Sometimes you just have to see it differently to remind yourself.
Rapid Fire
Favorite city and why?
Ho Chi Minh… most palpable energy
Favorite artist?
Impossible but I deeply love Kim Chong Hak. My first time seeing his work in person, in Seoul, was a major inspiration and turning point in how I thought about energy and mark making in my work.
Current most-listened musician?
I’ve been listening to a 1999 Bob Dylan concert bootleg from Valencia on loop.
Last book you read?
John Ashberry & Joe Brainard: The Vermont Notebook.
Favorite art space/gallery/museum to visit
I used to live next door to Museo Experimental El Eco in Mexico City, which isn’t so much a museum as it is an architectural treasure with wonderfully curated exhibits. It’s a beautiful beautiful building and it’s free and open to the public all the time. It’s wondrous to just walk in and around but when there is a show, it can be truly inspiring. A Vivien Suter exhibit at El Eco in 2017 will always hold a place deep in my heart.
