ST. MICHAELS — Sunday evening, between strokes of his brush, Michael Eline, a St.-Michaels-based artist, talks, laughs and encourages the attendees of his live painting event to assist in his portrait of a sunrise rising behind homes and trees.
Eline has devoted his life to not only his paintings, but to bringing joy to people through live art events throughout the Eastern Shore. During these events, he encourages people to engage with art and watch the creation of portraits in real time.
“You can feed off the energy I do like getting up in front of people,” Eline said. “I’ve been a public speaker on-and-off at different times. I’ve been a chamber president. I’ve run a nonprofit service organization. I’m comfortable in my skin, and I think that people feed off your vibe too, so that if you’re real positive, they’re real positive, and everybody has a good time.”
Eline said he had always had a love for art and even studied it at Salisbury University, but after some time as a “starving artist,” he decided to leave art behind in order to pursue a job in construction.
For over 28 years, Eline took a hiatus from painting. Then during the Great Recession in 2014, he had to close his construction business. But soon after, he rediscovered his passion for painting and has been chasing it ever since.
Now, Eline does live painting events throughout the Eastern Shore and more recently has added a musical component to his shows through his friend Joe Hickey who plays the guitar and sings while Eline paints.
During their performances, Hickey will joke around with Eline and Eline in turn will dance to the music Hickey plays.
Hickey says he loves performing with Eline and appreciates the duo that they have become in and outside of their performances.
“(Mike) would be there in a heartbeat if I needed him,” Hickey said. “And I’m the same way.”
Eline makes a point of connecting with those who watch him make art.
Throughout an event, Eline will go and talk to attendees, hand them paint brushes to join him in making art and ask questions.
“There’s a relationship that forms between the artist and the viewer,” Eline said. “And you can go so much further if you’re there with the audience at the time you’re doing it, there’s this much greater connection.”
Joy McPeters, a St. Michaels resident, was at the event at Blu Miles Restaurant on Sunday, cheering and clapping for the Eline. McPeters says she owns a painting of Eline’s and it is displayed proudly in her home.
“I’m a fan of Mike’s and a fan of Joe’s, and I think (Eline’s) work is fantastic,” McPeters said. “We have one painting of his at home. So we’re here to support and so we can get some food for lunch … And it’s amazing that he can paint that quickly.”
Alek Riedel, bar manager at Blue Miles Restaurant, said it was Eline’s second time performing at the restaurant.
“He does a great job,” Riedel said. “He does a lot of paintings, and it’s just something fun to do to bring the local community in … things like this are always good for trying to bring all the local community together to help small businesses or even big businesses.”
According to Eline, every time he paints he feels he is getting closer to a universal truth about the world, and though he puts a lot of effort and love in his art, he is happy when other people enjoy it enough to take it home with them.
“It’s like children, you kind of let them go and I tell people that it’s like this painting got adopted. It’s going to its forever home,” Eline said. “The fact that someone can relate to it or enjoy it at that level, it’s kind of nice that it goes away. I feel like I learned something new in each painting, too. I am getting closer to the truth of my subject matter, that it becomes more and more evident as I do my next painting, my next painting, my next painting, it’s very existential.”
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