My name is Michael Fortenberry, Telluride as a portal to the mountainous region and tight knit community raised me to who I have become today and created guidelines for my approach to creative expression. The trajectory of my work has followed symbols of natural processes integral to the growth of an ecosystem. I’ve recently been grappling with fungal forms that emulate the Matsutake Mushroom as an emblem encouraging coexistence for a healthy future of human and nature longevity and fertility. The Matsutake mushroom is the first to pop up in areas of human disturbance, which creates a foreign comparison to the surroundings that it does not belong to, plagued with the industrial twinge of Man.
What is your chosen artistic medium?
I work mainly with manipulating raw materials such as wood and steel. Recently, I’ve been exploring the usage of other mediums that engage the viewer through sensory response, using light, sound, vibration, and interactive response technology to guide the audience.
Who/What/When are your muses?
Artists such as Martin Puryear, Alice Aycock, Yayoi Kusama, Olafur Eliasson, Anthony Gormaly, etc., have opened my eyes to manipulation of material and movement that pulls a viewer in. No human can create aesthetics like nature, so I’m constantly trying to pull a sense of constant movement and organic use of space into my work. Entering a flow state in the outdoors, at the skatepark, or in day to day activities enables me to create and find center in my work.
What are your prep or practice rituals to get you into the artistic headspace?
I’d like to say I have a ridgid day to day process that allows me to sit down and create, but that’s not who I am. I need to reach equilibrium in my body and mind to create, which I find in cooking food and the creation of a mediation practice that I maintain twice a day. Most of my artistic inspiration is documented on the spot from moving through life, drawn on coffee cups, books, and my arms that I later might transcribe to a more permanent spot.
What is your favorite awkward growth moment or barrier breaking time?
Sheesh, I would have to say I spend a lot of my life trying to reach the standard of the society mold, and then one day I just realized I need to throw that idea in the trash and make art.
During the period of social distancing and quarantine, what inspired you and kept you engaged and moving forward?
When covid was bestowed upon us I was in the last semester of undergrad, working on my thesis art show, told to basically go home and play with sticks in your backyard and photograph it for an online exhibition. It turned out to be a blessing, I’m a very social being and it provided isolation to create and maintain a simple lifestyle. No expectation, no distraction, just a time to focus on self. Two of my housemates left to be with their families, and one remained who happened to be a musician. Our days consisted of waking up, taking a few hours for coffee and a full breakfast and then we parted ways to both create until we came back together for a slow dinner. Since then I’ve seeked out opportunities that enable me to create in similar conditions of life.
What is your favorite quote?
“It is not me who is the clown, but this monstrously cynical and so unconsciously naive society, which plays the game of seriousness in order better to hide its madness.”
- Salvador Dali
Tell us about your upcoming events, new releases, or anticipated projects.
Stay tuned, I have just moved to New York to get a MFA in sculptural design at SUNY New Paltz to push my technical abilities and use of technology. The program is known for its push towards eco-sculpture and vast fabrication possibilities. Looking forward to emulating natural environments to create a bridge between humans and the natural world in efforts to make symbols of coexistence to encourage the healing of our earth.
Any other details you would like to share?
We are nature, you don’t need to go find it elsewhere.
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