Mike's Blog Goes Live
Mike's blog - "Strange Shores - A Journal of Discovery" is now online Go see >
Recent News & Information
Map Gallery is Updated
Map gallery has been completely restructured and updated with new maps Go see >
Map Gallery Up and Running
Here you will find some of the best fictional cartography around. Go see >
Design Gallery Up and Running
Look here to see a broad range of design projects completed for a variety of clients. Go see >
Art Gallery Up and Running
Check out a large assortment of traditional and digital media ranging from commissioned illustration to personal fine art. Go see >
MikeSchley.com Goes Live
Welcome to the grand opening of Mike Schley's gallery and news site!
Take a look around and feel free to contact me with any questions or
comments you might have. Glad you're here and hope to see you again
soon.
— Mike
Artist's Statement
Metaphor and suggestion draw my fascination far more quickly than just the simple formal elements of an image. As a result, I try to steer myself towards projects that challenge the viewers expectations and lead them into the unknown or to far off shores where things are not always what they might seem to be. Even something as mundane as a book of matches, when found in the wrong place at the wrong time, can hint at a story far beyond what is immediately seen. Art can serve as a window not only into the lives and minds of its characters but also as a portal to distant places and times waiting to be explored. These are the subjects I enjoy investigating and whether they are found in an all night diner, the distant future, or a mythical past, their alluring natures transcend time and space.
As a professional artist and designer, I have produced a large body of work for a variety of clients ranging from publishing firms to public universities. Currently my focus is on providing illustration and cartography services to the publishing and tabletop gaming industries. While aggressively pursuing my career in the commercial arts, my time is also spent studying the use of storytelling and narrative in the visual arts. Combining the use of digital and traditional media, my work conveys a painterly approach while benefiting from the clean and finished properties of the digital format. Having worked in an assortment of genres over the past decade, I hope to continue to bring a sense of wonder to my work in the future while pushing my creative and conceptual boundaries into new realms of the imagination.