C. Michael Frey

Born in Atlanta, GA in 1975, C. Michael Frey is a painter and graphic designer currently living and working in Los Angeles. After graduating with a B.F.A. in Painting and Drawing from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia, Frey moved to New York to pursue a career in visual arts.

Working in a commercial photographer’s studio, Frey honed his skills in digital illustration and photo-retouching, which have become vital to the development of his own art. His work has been featured on album covers, in advertising campaigns, and magazines including The New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, Numéro, V, and Wired. Utilizing figurative painting and self-portraiture, Frey’s work examines the concept of identity in today’s media-obsessed culture.

Frey develops his images by layering photography with classical painting methods and unconventional mediums to create an effect that invokes decaying advertising billboards. Exploring archetypes and subcultures, these mixed-media paintings challenge the viewer to question how modern depictions of desire and sexuality influence the perception of self and collective identity.

EXCLUSIVE WORK BY C. MICHAEL FREY