About the Artist
Mike Wise, OPA, AIS
b. 1973
Mike Wise is a painter best known for his lush landscapes and sculptural use of oils. His approach to representational art is based in impressionism and abstract design with loose brushwork and extensive use of palette knife. The result is a painting with movement and energy, rich in color, texture, and a distinct three-dimensional feel that draws the viewer deep into the painted image.
Wise grew up an outdoor enthusiast, surrounded by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Throughout his life, the extraordinary coastlines and mountains, as well as the beautiful backroads and farmland of the American landscape, have provided endless inspiration for his work.
Mike began his professional career in the financial industry as a stockbroker, but ever since he was a child he had a passion for art. Mike attributes much of this passion to his grandfather, a painter who would produce bold, oversized paintings of landscapes and wild animals that captivated him from the time he was a boy. Mike studied art informally while pursuing a financial career, and it was while working in downtown Seattle as a securities broker that he made the decision to pursue a full time career in fine art. Mike went on to study under several prominent painters, has learned from many of his contemporaries, and is an avid student of the Old Masters.
Today Mike lives on Whidbey Island near Seattle, where he paints and teaches in a converted barn-turned-studio, as well as en plein air. Mike is honored to have particpated in regional and national art competitions, including as Judge of Awards, and is a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America (OPA) and the American Impressionist Society (AIS).
Exhibitions:
2026 Sage Creek Gallery “Mike Wise and Joe McCay” Santa Fe, New Mexico
2026 Cole Gallery “Our Northwest” Edmonds, WA
2025 Sage Creek Gallery "Colors of Enchantment", Santa Fe, New Mexico
2024 Cole Gallery "Impressions From Our Land Featuring Mike Wise", Edmonds, WA
2024 Sage Creek Gallery "Art of Enchantment", Santa Fe, New Mexico
2023 Sage Creek Gallery "Inspired by History and Land", Santa Fe, New Mexico
2023 Pacific Northwest Art School, Judge of Awards: Whidbey Plein Air Paint Out
2022 Sage Creek Gallery "Immersed In Nature: Earth, Sky and Water", Santa Fe, New Mexico
2022 Cole Gallery "Rugged Beauty", Edmonds, WA
2021 Sage Creek Gallery "The Stories We Tell: Inspired by the West", Santa Fe, New Mexico
2020 Sage Creek Gallery "Landscapes and Perspectives", Santa Fe New Mexico
2020 Cole Gallery "Painting Whidbey: A Fresh New Look From Mike Wise", Edmonds, WA
2019 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum "Small Works and Great Wonders", Oklahoma City, OK
2019 Sage Creek Gallery "Stories Woven Into the Land", Santa Fe, New Mexico
2019 Cole Gallery "Seasons of Beauty", Edmonds, WA
2019 Cole Gallery "Anniversary Show" Edmonds, WA
2018 Sage Creek Gallery "Seasons of Beauty", Santa Fe, New Mexico
2018 Legacy Gallery "Holiday Works Show", Scottsdale, AZ
2018 Cole Gallery "Impressionism in Oil and Water", Edmonds, WA
2018 Cole Gallery Anniversary Show, Edmonds, WA
2018 National Cowboy Museum "Small Works, Great Wonders" Invitational, Oklahoma City, OK
2018 American Impressionist Society "Small Works Showcase", Cincinnati, Ohio
2017 Legacy Gallery "Holiday Small Works Show", Scottsdale, Arizona
2017 Abend Gallery Miniatures Show, Denver, Colorado
2017 Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition, Saint George, Utah
2017 National Cowboy Museum "Small Works, Great Wonders" Invitational, Oklahoma City, OK
2017 Howard/Mandville Gallery Invitational Small Works Show, Kirkland, WA
2017 "Impressions of the Western Landscape" Solo Show, Sage Creek Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2017 American Impressionist Society National Exhibition, Park City, Utah
2017 Coeur d' Alene Art Galleries "Miniatures by the Lake", Coeur D’Alene, ID
2017 Mike Wise Solo Show, Cole Gallery, Edmonds, WA
2017 “Wanderlust - Landscape Exhibition” Howard/Mandville Gallery, Kirkland, WA
2017 OPA National Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Cincinnati, OH
2017 Cole Gallery Anniversary Show, Edmonds, WA
2017 American Impressionist Society “Small Works Showcase” Costa Mesa, CA
2016 Clymer Museum, “New Northwest Masters” Ellensburg, WA
2016 "Miniatures by the Lake", Coeur D’Alene Art Galleries, Coeur D’Alene, ID
2016 Abend Gallery Holiday Miniatures Show, Denver, CO
2016 OPA Western Regional Exhibition, Scottsdale, Arizona
2016 OPA Salon Show, Fort Wayne, Indiana
2016 American Impressionist Society National Exhibition
2016 Cole Gallery Anniversary Show, Edmonds, WA
2016 Landscape ~ Abend Gallery, Denver Colorado
2016 Impressionist Landscapes: Solo Show, Cole Gallery, Edmonds, WA
2016 Spokane Valley Arts Council Annual Benefit Show, Spokane, Washington
2015 Winter Group Show, Sage Creek Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2015 25th Anniversary Holiday Miniatures Show, Abend Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2015 Howard/Mandville Gallery Invitational Small Works Show, Kirkland, Washington
2015 Coeur d'Alene Art Galleries Miniatures by the Lake, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
2015 Virtuosos of the OPA, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
2015 Double Feature: Mike Wise & Giuseppe Palumbo, Cole Gallery, Edmonds, WA
2015 OPA National Exhibition of Traditional Oils, St. Augustine, Florida
2015 Yellowstone Art Museum 47th Annual Art Auction, Billings, Montana
2015 Cole Gallery Anniversary Show, Edmonds, Washington
2015 Old Traditions / New Frontiers Art Show, Abend Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2014 "Introducing Mike Wise ~ Northwest Impressionism", Cole Gallery, Edmonds, WA
2014 Contemporary Masters Show, Fredericksburg Art Gallery, Fredericksburg, Texas
2014 American Impressionist Society National Exhibition, Denver, Colorado
2014 OPA National Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Bennington, Vermont
2014 Taos Art Museum at Fechin House Benefit Auction, Taos, New Mexico
2014 OPA Western Regional Exhibition, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
2014 Couer d'Alene Art Galleries Miniatures by the Lake, Couer d'Alene, Idaho
2014 Howard/Mandville Gallery Invitational Small Works Show, Kirkland, Washington
2014 Museum of Northwest Arts and Culture Annual Benefit Show, Spokane, WA
2014 Spokane Valley Arts Council Annual Benefit Show, Spokane, Washington
2014 Hockaday Museum Benefit Auction of Miniatures, Kallispell, Montana
2014 Paint the Peninsula Juried Plein Air event, Port Angeles, Washington
2014 Arts at the Port Annual Juried Exhibition, Anacortes, Washington
2014 Whidbey Expressions Benefit Art Show, Coupeville, Washington
2014 Art of the West Art Exhibit, High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon
2013 OPA National Exhibition of Traditional Oils in Fredericksburg, Texas
2013 OPA Juried Salon Show in Petoskey, Michigan
2013 Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane, Washington
2012 OPA National Exhibition of Traditional Oils in Evergreen, Colorado
2012 OPA Western Regional Exhibition in Denver, Colorado
2012 CM Russell Museum / Masters Art Show and Auction in Great Falls, Montana
2012 Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane, Washington
2008 Clymer Museum Two Man Show, Ellensburg, Washington
2007 National Museum of Wildlife Out of the Box Auction, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Awards:
2026 Best of Show & 2nd Place, Pacific Northwest Art School Annual Plein Air Event
2018 Finalist, Bold Brush Painting Competition, March
2017 Realism Honorable Mention Award, OPA National Exhibition
2016 Award of Excellence, OPA Western Regional Exhibition, Scottsdale, AZ
2016 Third Place, Bold Brush Painting Competition, August
2015 Bronze Medal Award, OPA National Exhibition, St. Augustine, Florida
2015 Finalist, Bold Brush Painting Competition, October
2014 Paint the Peninsula Plein Air Invitational Sponsors Award, Port Angeles, WA
2014 Paint the Peninsula Plein Air Invitational Hon.Mention Award, Port Angeles, WA
2012 Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture Best of Show Spokane, Washington
2008 Best of Show Whidbey Island Plein Air Painters Open
2007 & 2008 Best of Show Ellensburg National Western Art Show
2006 Juror’s Choice Award Whidbey Island Plein Air Painters Open
National & International Publication Features:
Western Art & Architecture, "Artist Spotlights" December 2020
Pratique des Arts Magazine (France) "Peindre la Lumiere" Special Oil Painting Edition, May 2, 2018
American Art Collector Magazine, “Fleeting Farm Life” June 2017
American Art Collector Magazine, “Southern Sanctuaries” Reinert Fine Art Gallery Focus, February 2017
Western Art Collector Magazine, “Winter Snapshots”, December, 2015
Southwest Art Magazine, "Portfolio: The Beauty of Nature" July 2015
American Art Collector Magazine, "Anniversary Showcase” February 2015
Southwest Art Magazine, "Artists to Watch" January 2015
“Although he refutes the Impressionist qualification, the works of this American ‘painter of light’ are not without evoking, in their colors and treatment of light, the French masters of the late nineteenth century.” – "Pratique des Arts" magazine, May 2018 (translated from French to English)
“Mike is an undeniably brilliant impressionist. His dynamic brushwork, fresh and unfettered application of paint combined with an uncanny ability to create a sense of realism, make his paintings simply exquisite.” – Denise Cole, Cole Gallery, as quoted in “American Art Collector Magazine” June 2017
“A master of color and brushwork, Mike achieves clarity and depth through thick impasto against dark, linear strokes. He is in total control of his medium, giving the viewers the feeling of complete freedom.” — Rick Reinert, Reinert Fine Art, as quoted in “American Art Collector Magazine” February 2017
Mike proudly uses M. Graham oils. mgraham.com
