Mike Loftus is a representational painter whose preferred medium is oil on canvas. He has also worked with acrylics, charcoals and oil pastels on paper, generating drawings and paintings that are as expressive as his works on canvas. Mike describes his work as visual metaphors for spiritual experiences that often aim to evoke an emotional response in the viewer. The characters he paints, and the interactions orchestrated between them, are meant to reflect a desire in these characters to achieve a spiritual confluence of purpose and regret. While the themes are not always obvious, these compositions are generally about the struggle for serenity.

The representational nature and the occasional use of religious iconography in Mike's paintings are meant to emphasize that much of his work is ambiguously spiritual. Many of the characters in the work are spiritually deprived rather than whole; they are in search of balance, cohesion and meaning. The use of texture and color, of which many are often blended in a single brush stroke, add to the perception that the characters in these pieces are worn down by their search for purpose. Movement and shape are also used to convey a sense of balance and, implicitly, emotion; further demonstrating that these pieces are representational and are not intended to depict any actual event. Mike Loftus has been working and exhibiting as a painter in Omaha, Nebraska, for over 15 years. Born in 1970, Mike graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a Bachelor of Fine Art in 1994. He later earned a degree in Special Education from the same university. In addition to painting and exhibiting in galleries throughout the region, Mike has been working as a certified special education teacher since August, 2001.

EDUCATION:
1994 BFA University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE
2001 BS Education / Special Education University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
1996 - Present Special Education Teacher, Educational Director, Career Solutions, Inc. Omaha, NE
2001 - 2002 Day School Teacher, Omaha Home for Boys, Omaha, NE

EXHIBITIONS: June 2007 Black Dog Cafe, St. Paul, MN
April 29 - June 10 2007 Moxie Salon and Art Gallery, Uptown, Minneapolis, MN
July 2006 Hot Shops Art Center, Omaha, NE
November 2005 Panache, Lincoln, NE
September - October 2005 901 Gallery, Omaha, NE
September 2005 Fremont Coffee, Seattle, WA
August 2005 Ted and Wally's, Omaha, NE
July 2005 Independent Thought Gallery, Des Moines, IA
July - August 2005 Louisville Art Gallery, Louisville, NE
April 2004 Artists' Cooperative Gallery, Omaha, NE
August 2003 Fluxion Gallery, Omaha, NE
June 2003 Artists' Cooperative Gallery, Omaha, NE
February 2003 Artists' Cooperative Gallery, Omaha, NE
December 2001 The Color Shoppe, Omaha, NE
December 1999 The Shock, Omaha, NE
October 1997 Visions, Omaha, NE
June 1996 13th Street Gallery, Omaha, NE
March 1995 13th Street Gallery, Omaha,NE
February 1994 The Antiquarium, Omaha, NE
December 1993 Thesis Exhibit, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE
January 1991 The Antiquarium, Omaha, NE


Louisville Art Gallery, 230 Main Street P.O. Box 160 Louisville, NE 68037
Phone 402-234-2867
www.louisvilleartgallery.com