VIEW WORKS

About Mike Southern

Mike’s practice has evolved from carefully observed black-and-white landscape etchings into small, intuitive oil paintings, and more recently into imagined landscapes. His move into oil painting came naturally, reflecting both his way of working and his temperament. It marks a continuation of his practice, while also feeling like a renewed phase.

Around 2005, figures began to enter these landscapes, adding a new layer to an ongoing exploration of how we find our place within the natural world. Drawing on storytelling and mythology, from indigenous traditions to Western narratives, alongside personal memory and invention - the work builds a visual language that feels both familiar and open-ended.

These figures act as characters within the scenes, shaping a developing mythology. The feminine form, and a sense of feminine strength remains central. Ideas of connection to nature, the meeting of the spiritual and physical, and the role of ritual and adornment continue to run through the work. Each painting often begins with a strong gesture or a compelling landscape, with the story unfolding from there. It’s an intuitive process, drawn from a deep and ongoing source.