MIKE PIGGOTT

MIKE PIGGOTTeat a cupcake in the woods

62 SOUTH GLENWOOD ST JACKSON HOLE WY TEL 307 733 0555TAYLOEPIGGOTTGALLERY.COM

Cupcake, 2013 Oil on Canvas10 x 10 in.

Two Stripes and Some Trees, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas36 x 48 in.

Polka Dots, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas24 x 18 in.

Pink Frosting, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas20 x 24 in.

Weigh In, 2014 Oil on Canvas66 x 48 in.

Warm Fire, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas18 x 22 in.

Snow Angel, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas18 x 22 in.

Three Yellow Jackets, 2014 Oil on Canvas66 x 48 in.

To the Woods, 2014 Oil on Canvas20 x 72 in. (triptych)

Two Cupcakes, 2013 Oil on Canvas12 x 14 in.

Another Place, 2014 Oil on Canvas66 x 48 in.

Road Trip, 2014 Acrylic on Canvas20 x 24 in.

Butter on a Blue Plate, 2014 Oil on Canvas20 x 24 in.

Muffin, 2014 Oil on Canvas18 x 18 in.

Coffee Cup & Blue Towel, 2014 Oil on Canvas18 x 22 in.

MIKE PIGGOTT

b. 1963, Charlottesville, Virginia

Mike Piggott finds resonance and beauty in the familiar. His paintings, an-

chored in the stuff of everyday, quietly capture moments in time that might

otherwise go overlooked. Each composition speaks to the poetry and art

of silence. Whether painting a still-life centering on a plated stick of butter

or a dream-like perspective of lodge-pole pine trees, Mike Piggott’s work

effuses a simplicity that begs for contemplation.

Piggott’s primary concerns are the formal aspects of painting, often paint-

ing the same thing over and over as if discovering his subjects anew, while

focusing on constant experimentation with the technical aspects of color

and composition. A colorist, Piggott uses his palette to inform the patterns,

rhythms, and tone of the works. By creating very similar compositions

Piggott explores how color can dramatically alter the mood and therefore

interpretation of a piece.

Within every composition Piggott strives to remove the trace of the ego

and create a work devoid of any evidence of the artist’s hand. In attempt-

ing to eliminate his presence, Mike Piggott hopes to create a painting that

stands simply for itself. As Piggott puts it, “The only way a painting has to

make sense is in and of itself.”

.

His paintings, however well they stand alone, also raise questions: from

whose perspective are we viewing these subjects? Why, even in those

works containing groups of people, is there such an overwhelming sense of

silence?

It is evident in Piggott’s still lifes that he remains fascinated by the solitary

element. Focusing on a single subject that is often easily overlooked, he

both elevates the object while drawing attention to its everyday unimpor-

tance. But it is more than composition that causes his works to ache with

isolation, and it is this lingering quality makes it impossible to look away.

Mike Piggott was born in 1963, Charlottesville, VA. He received his BA at

Virginia Commonwealth University and studied at the Winchester College

of Art, Winchester, England. Mike Piggott has had numerous solo exhibi-

tions at the Tayloe Piggott Gallery, Jackson, WY, the Lynchburg Fine Arts

Center, Lynchburg, VA, and at the Neapolitan Gallery, Richmond, VA, and

participated in various group exhibitions. Mike Piggott lives and works in

Jackson, Wyoming and Victor, Idaho.