Michael McDevitt

My current body of work is titled Demiurge, a term for the lesser deity charged with creating the physical world. The Demiurge is the imperfect maker of matter, sometimes used to explain the existence of sin.

This series blends still life and landscape to consider how our inner world is shaped by the pressure of history and the jackhammer of current events. In these paintings, domestic objects, animals, and totemic figures enact dramas in a fractured terrain. The paintings begin with a digital montage of original photos and appropriated imagery and finish with improvisation.

By constructing these multi-layered compositions, I seek to give voice to the impulses and conflicts that I struggle with daily; to create a space that balances honesty and legibility with an open-ended aesthetic pleasure. Though the scenes are chaotic and occasionally violent, the paintings are ultimately about resilience and the joy inherent in being alive.