About Michael Schlicting

In retrospect it seems obvious Michael Schlicting would grow up to be an artist. With an accomplished artist as a mother and older siblings all making art, the Schlicting home was filled with art projects, books and art magazines. But for Michael, outside of schoolwork, his interest was sports, especially basketball. His basketball career culminated in him being one of the top small college players in the country and a shot at the pros, going through the Portland Trailblazers rookie camp.

But during his college days, a required art class brought his latent abilities to light and gave rise to the passion and direction that would be his life’s work. Michael has made his living as an artist from graduation onward, a remarkable achievement. He was helped along by a number of early supporters and collectors, one of whom was the noted arts patron JW “Bill” Fisher. Mr. Fisher, who received the National Arts Medal from President Reagan in 1987, was one of Michael’s earliest supporters, encouraging, teaching and collecting Schlicting’s paintings. One of Michael’s most thrilling moments was walking into Fisher’s home in Palm Beach, Florida and seeing his painting hanging next to a Picasso.

Much of the stimulus for Michael’s art comes from his travels. An opportunity to teach a painting workshop in Tuscany led to his love of Italy, particularly the Tuscan landscape. A good portion of Michael’s paintings comes from imagery gleaned from his frequent trips there. In addition, he has been traveling to South America, with Chile another fertile source of inspiration.

Over the years Schlicting has won major awards in many painting competitions, both nationally and internationally, as well as being one of the finalists for the prestigious Grumbacher Artist of the Year award. His paintings hang in over 2500 public, corporate and private collections around the world. He makes his home in Portland, Oregon and spends his summers at his studio/gallery, the Hawk Creek Gallery, on the Oregon coast.

Michael's Resume

Education

BA in Fine Arts Principia College, Elsah, Illinois

Selected Juried Shows and Awards

Open Walls, Portland Institute of Contemporary Art

Works on Faith, Jurors Award Portland, OR

12th Invitational Asian Watercolours Confederation International Exhibition, Asian Waterolours, Singapore

Painter's Eye Award, Rocky Mountain National Watermedia, Golden, CO

Northwest Watercolor Society 57th Annual Exhibition, Kirkland, WA

Rines Family Foundation Award for Excellence in Abstraction, North American Open Show, Boston, MA

Gayle Keith-Ashley Award, Northwest Watercolor Society, 56th Annual Exhibition, Seattle, WA

Alabama Watercolor Society, 55th Annual National Exhibition, Birmingham, AL

Georgia Taylor Memorial Award, Louisiana Watercolor Society 26th Annual International Exhibition, New Orleans, LA

Texas Watercolor Society, 47th Annual Exhibition, San Antonio, TX

Smith Packing Company Award, Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors, Old Forge, NY

San Diego Watercolor Society International Exhibition, San Diego, CA

Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, 17th Juried Exhibition, Bethlehem, PA

National Vice-President, American Watercolor Society, New York, NY

Finalist, Grumbacher Artist of the Year Award

Texas Watercolor Society 46th Annual Exhibition, San Antonio, TX

Pearl Art Supplies Award, Georgia Watercolor Society 16th National Exhibition, Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum, LaGrange, GA

Jack Richeson Merchandise Award, Purchase Award, San Diego Watercolor Society International Exhibition, San Diego, CA

Ashland Oil Foundation Award, Aqeous '95, Kentucky Watercolor Society, Louisville, KY

Grumbacher Gold Medal, National Watercolor Society, Fullerton, CA

Kentucky Watercolor Society, Louisville, KY

Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition, Golden, CO

National Watercolor Invitational Exhibition, Northern Arizona University Art Museum, Flagstaff, AZ

Watercolor USA, Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, MO

Judges Award, Houston International Exhibition, Houston, TX

High Winds Medal , American Watercolor Society , New York, NY

Dolphin Award, American Watercolor Society, New York, NY

Elected Member American Watercolor Society New York, NY

Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition, Golden, CO

American Watercolor Society Show, Juried Show, New York, NY

Artist's Magazine Award, American Watercolor Society, New York, NY

National Watercolor Society, Signature Member, Los Angeles, CA

Past President's Award, San Diego International Watercolor Show, San Diego, CA

CFS Medal, American Watercolor Society, New York, NY

Century Award of Merit, Rocky Mountain NatÕl Watermedia Exhibition, Golden, CO

Watercolor West, Riverside, CA

Martha T. McKinnon Award, American Watercolor Society, New York, NY

Highly Commended Award, International Artists in WC Competition, London, England

Voney Art Studio Award, Principia College, Elsah, IL

Selected Solo Exhibitions

The Bridges, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 2007,2009

Patricia Rovzar Gallery, Seattle, WA 1998-2008

Freed Gallery Lincoln City, OR 1998-2005

Sitka Art Invitational, Special Exhibition, World Forestry Center, Portland, OR 1997

American Institute of Architects, Portland, OR 1997

Institute of Chilean & North American Culture, Santiago, Chile 1996

Institute of Chilean & North American Culture, Concepcion, Chile 1996

The Gallery at Salishan , Gleneden Beach, OR 1996, 1994

Gango Galleries, Portland, OR 1993

Salishan Lodge Gallery, Gleneden Beach, OR 1992,1987

Stary-Sheets Galleries, Irvine, CA 1990

Maveety Gallery at Salishan, Gleneden Beach, OR 1980-1996

Lawrence Gallery, Sheridan, OR 1984-1993

Sunriver Lodge, Sunriver, OR 1985, 1978

Maveety Gallery, Portland, OR 1990, 1985

Jasper Galleries, New York, NY 1977

Selected Public and Corporate Collections

The Bridges, Rancho Santa Fe, CA

Hoffman, Hart Wagner, Portland,OR

Miller Wagner, Portland, OR

Intel Corporation, Portland, OR

Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR

Alaska State Council on the Arts

Mentor Graphics, Wilsonville, OR

Willamette Industries, Portland, OR

First Interstate Bank of Oregon

Sunrise Shipping, Portland, OR

U.S. National Bank of OR

Western Family Foods, Portland, OR

Safeco Corporation, Seattle, WA

Bullivant Houser Bailey Pendergrass & Hoffman, Portland, OR

Western Kraft Paper Corporation, Portland, OR

Shearson-American Express, Salem, OR

Piper, Jaffray and Hopwood, Inc., Lake Oswego, OR

Blount, Inc., Portland, OR

Forest City Traders, Portland, OR

Louisiana Pacific, Portland, OR

Anstalt Awelky, Vaduz, Lichenstein

Salem Art Association,Salem, OR

Claremont Colleges, Los Angeles, CA

Society Membership

American Watercolor Society, Signature Member , Dolphin Fellow, National Vice-President

National Watercolor Society, Signature Member

Publications

Landscapes in Watercolor, AVA/Sterling

A Design Manual, Prentiss Hall

Oregon Art Beat, Oregon Public Broadcasting

Best of Watercolor : Shadow, Rockport Publishers

Best of Watercolor : Composition, Rockport Publishers

Places in Watercolor , Rockport Publishers

Abstracts in Watercolor , Rockport Publishers

Creative Watercolor, Rockport Publishers

American Artist Magazine Quarterly, Watercolor, feature article

The Best of Watercolor, Rockport Publishers

Splash II, NorthLight Editions

Splash!, NorthLight Editions

June, American Artist Magazine feature article

September, Northwest Magazine