Opening Reception- Art of Michael Gelhar

Michael E. Gelhar is a portrait artist and father that paused his creating career for family priorities.  In 2015, he picked up his pencils and began pursuing artistic endeavors.  For several years, Mike worked in graphite pencil and ink.  He has had work from these mediums accepted in the annual Create! Wisconsin Show hosted by Richeson School of Art and Gallery (Kimberly, WI).

Mike’s work is a local favorite.  His portrait “Friends” was accepted as part of the Oshkosh Mini Mural project in 2020 and is installed on “House of Heroes” in downtown Oshkosh.  He regularly demonstrates and interacts with the public at events such as Downtown Oshkosh’s Chalkwalk and the Oshkosh Art Collective’s Oshkosh Creates.

Mike’s talent at capturing the internal monologue of his subject is ideal for portrait work.  The thoughts and personality of a portrait is Mike’s area of focus. He enjoys the “behind the scenes” story for the subject whether it is a commission piece or a celebrity. He recently moved to pastels after being inspired at various plein air events in the state.  As a fellow pet owner, Mike enjoys hearing stories about the antics of the animal subjects.

Mike Gelhar graduated from UW-Oshkosh in 2000 with a graphic arts degree and a fine arts minor.  He lives in Oshkosh and works as a digitizer in 4imprint’s embroidery department.