Mike Vandenberg

Biography

Mike Vanderberg was born in Ottawa in 1966. He grew up in the panoramic region of l'Outaouais which encapsulates Gatineau, Quebec; his current domicile. Mike's interest in painting was sparked at an early age during a trip to the National Gallery of Canada. While viewing great pieces by Canadian artists, Mike was struck by this movement's overwhelming flare for colour and design. Inspired, he ventured forth in a spirit of creation.
Fortified with his conviction to become a painter, Mike moved to Toronto in 1989. During his stay in Toronto, he studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design from 1989-1993. In May of 1993, he graduated from the fine arts program, specializing in drawing and painting. For the next 11 years he worked in Toronto.
In June 2003, Mike returned to Ottawa/ l'Outaouais region with a strong desire to explore nature's beauty. His first series to evolve from this aspiration features the beauty of dusk, which is mostly inspired by the majestic sense of symmetry inherent within the boundaries between the ether and the banks of the River.
Mike's current art focuses on capturing fleeting moments of nature's beauty, while emphasizing the development of natural abstract spaces.

Group Exhibitions

Kensington Outdoor Art Revue, 1998. Toronto ON
Happy, Manifestudio, 1997 Toronto ON
This Group is Impure, 96 Spadina. 1996. Toronto ON
Painterly Ways, Bedard Studio Gallery, 1994 Toronto ON
Strings in the Sky, Upper Canada Brewery, 1994 Toronto ON
Open House, Ontario College of Art, 1993 Toronto, ON

Awards

Kensington Outdoor Art Revue, 1st place in the painting catagory, 1998