Michael Gray is a Miami-based artist whose work explores the intersections of Florida’s ecological systems, human history, and personal narrative. His art serves as both a documentation of imperiled environments and an exploration of his complex identity, shaped by experiences as a naturalist, father, son, and “swamp-dweller” of Florida. Gray’s practice draws upon myth, allegory, and personal history to reconstruct layered narratives set against the surreal and often fragile landscapes of Florida.
Gray’s art is deeply tied to the natural world, addressing issues such as habitat loss, climate change, and the uncertain future of ecosystems. Through abstracted forms, intuitive gestures, and symbolic imagery, his work reflects the anxieties and awe inspired by the environment, blending memory and myth to create a vivid yet introspective pastiche. Gray’s paintings, prints, and ceramics often depict metaphors of his life experience, threading together personal moments, environmental concerns, and universal themes of loss, survival, and transformation.
Animals frequently serve as symbolic protagonists in Gray’s work. Drawing inspiration from the traditions of augury, Gray uses the movements and behaviors of animals as symbolic omens, interpreting their presence as a modern form of divination. These animal representations—paired with influences from ancient mythologies such as the shipwreck of Odysseus, the river Styx, and the tale of Prometheus—imbue his work with layered allegories that elevate personal experiences into universal narratives.
Gray also integrates ceramics into his practice, creating forms that echo early human art and craft. Much like ancient ceramics and early artistic depictions of animals, these works serve as markers of existence, connecting the artist to an ancient lineage of craft and storytelling. By bridging the contemporary and the archaic, Gray’s ceramics function as artifacts that claim a place in both human and environmental history.
Through bold, tropical colors and contrasting deep blacks and crisp whites, Gray captures the tension, decay, and vitality of Florida’s ecosystems. His work draws on diverse artistic traditions, including Gyotaku, Chinese ink painting, Western European still life, and cave art, while exploring personal and cultural connections to the land. Michael Gray has lived and worked in Florida for over a decade and earned his MFA from Florida International University. His work has been featured in Brickell Magazine, Voyage Magazine, and the publication Through the Renaissance and Now: A Brief History in the Evolution of the Visual Arts.