msalemi(Michael Salemi)(@msalemi)
PremierMichael holds a fine arts degree in Sculpture from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. After a decade working as an independent sculptor and jeweler, he transitioned into digital graphic art and medical technology, launching a 20-year career as a software product manager, patent holder, and startup co-founder. His industry expertise led to featured appearances on MythBusters and a Discovery Channel documentary. Following a final decade of organizational leadership in the nonprofit sector, Michael returned to his studio practice in 2024. Today, he channels his passion for cultural diversity and our shared human experience into evocative mixed-media creations.
Artistic Categories
Artist Statement
My work explores internal landscapes of thought, emotion, and memory. Inspired by decades of world travel, I blend photography, collage, and painting into atmospheric compositions that feel simultaneously familiar and uncertain. I integrate ancient and modern iconography to connect these personal impressions with our shared global heritage. Digital tools allow me to combine multiple layers of abstract elements, photos, and stylus-based brushwork to infuse each piece with depth and textural complexity. While created within a digital interface, my images are crafted entirely by hand. I work without artificial intelligence or generative algorithms, ensuring every piece remains an authentic, human-made creation.
Galleries
Place | Time | Culture
Internal landscapes of thought, emotion, and memory, inspired by decades of world travel.
5 images
Ensōs | Abstracts | Icons | Symbols
Westerners commonly call these images Zen Circles. In Japanese, they are called ensō - a traditional art form and method of meditation based solely on drawing a circle with a single fluid line. In Zen philosophy, an ensō can represent many things, but one of the purest is the beauty of imperfection.
8 images
Memory | Myth | Emotion
"Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect" Richard Powell
8 images
Current Works
I am currently interested in visual themes that evoke an atmosphere of contemplation, such as meditative states, liminal spaces, and memories.
3 images
Featured Artwork
Celestún Ensō 2 - Arrival
2026 · 28 x 28 · Digital Painting
Celestún Ensō - 5 Phantom
2026 · 28 x 28 · Digital Painting
Ancestral Song the 1st Third
2026 · 36 x 45 · Digital Painting
A meditation on our origins and first phase of life
Path of Totality the 2nd Third
2026 · 36 x 45 · Digital Print
An exploration of expressing gratitude.
Sirens Labyrinth the 3rd Third
2026 · 36 x 45 · Digital Painting
An exploration of the mysteries we face in our final decades.
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