“

MONUMENT’s Houseguest Residency Series is a way for us to further promote inspiring friends and artists while inviting them into our home and our community. We welcome MONUMENT’s Houseguests to work freely at their own pace while encouraging exploration and gathering inspiration from all that the Hudson Valley has to offer. The residency culminates in a gallery exhibition of the work made during the duration of their stay.

We were honored to welcome Texas based artist, Michael Wayne Hall for the first installment of our Houseguest Residency Series. We’ve worked with Michael over the years in different capacities and are thrilled to introduce Kingston to his talents. It wasn’t all work and no play, we made sure to show Michael some of our home in-between his long shifts in the studio. Simply put, Michael stated, “Going on beautiful hikes is part of my work.”

Michael uses painting as a meditative practice.  His work is always created by hand.  Colors are individually mixed and remixed, and are applied without the use of tape or masking, allowing wobbles, smudges, and other imperfections to remain.  It is important to him that while each piece is extremely precise, a close examination reveals the handmade nature of the process.  His abstract paintings are grounded in his love of the flat-color aesthetics of vintage screenprints.  He makes use of methodically blended color gradients to imply movement, transitions, and depth.  The work feels familiar and yet modern, and is simultaneously both calming and energizing.