Betwixt & Between

ENGAGING TRANSITIONAL SPACES & TRANSFORMATION THROUGH ART

Mike Lane is a native of the Virginia Coast and North Carolina's Outer Banks, but lived and worked in Asia for the better part of the last 30 years, and from 2008 through 2014, he studied with accomplished, and very patient, artists in southern China.

His art applies these learned traditional Asian watercolor medium techniques to East-Coast American landscapes, flora, and fauna. His work primarily focuses on what he calls liminal or “threshold” spaces— a shallow marsh, the eddies creating a pause in a winding creek, a dune-scape that transitions to the sea, a critical moment as seasons change. Subtleties in the brushed line and composition reflect a generative truth regarding balance, complementarity, and the risks and joys of growth. For a more in-depth & personal explanation of Mike’s body of work, see his Youtube video called Carolina Sumi-e https://youtu.be/JwcFSmHlvpo

Asian art is inherently spiritual, and so nature is the Designer’s signature. The creative impulse of “ art making” becomes a motivational Genesis moment reflecting an imprint, the “imago dei.”

Throughout his artistic career Mike has enjoyed investing in the local arts community. He founded and directed the Halizo Arts Festival from 2002-2004. He teaches Asian art classes and is curator of the Chapel Gallery at his church, Virginia Beach Community Chapel. He is also currently a board member of the local Blue Heron Sumi-e Society and actively shows at local galleries, shops, and festivals. 

In 2020, Mike’s painting, “Garden Community,” won the Award of Merit in the Virginia Beach Art Center’s (VBAC) May show, Garden of Life. Have a look— https://www.artcentervb.org/ . Also in 2020, Liang Wei issued an award for his work, The Last Bridge Before Home, in the Juried National Exhibition of the Sumi-e Society of America.

In 2022, “Morning Stirrings” won Award of Excellence at the “H2O” regional exhibit at the VBAC. In 2023, “Holding at the Edge” was awarded an Honorable Mention in the VBAC January show— “What’s New.”

When Mike isn’t painting, he’s into creative mischief with his son, Andrew and daughter, Rachel. He also enjoys writing, working in the garden, kayaking, boating, fishing with son, Matthew, and relishes spending time with his beautiful wife, Joy.