Home About Communications Connect Contact Learn Visit Give Members

Mike Austin

The Blanche Ames gallery will be presenting the drawings of Mike Austin from June 5th to June 26th.The reception for members, friends and visitors will be held on June 5th from 12:00 noon till 2:00PM. Not only will the works be displayed for viewing, guests can meet and talk with the artist.The Blanche Ames Gallery is located in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick, 4880 Elmer Derr Road, Frederick, MD 21703. Visiting hours may vary throughout the month, therefore it is best to check with the office 301-473-7680.

Mike Austin is a retired Naval Officer, international mobilization planner and disaster management advisor who now lives near Shepherdstown. He has worked in a wide range of art media over the years trying to capture some of the beauty and insight from unusual adventures experienced during his civil and military careers. Much of his work focuses on nostalgia and country living -- the cultural anthropology of many nations and cultures that is reinforced by life in the Eastern Panhandle. His forte is work in pen and ink and linoleum block prints. He hopes to develop the capability well enough to illustrate his own short stories and books. Much of his work is based on memory reinforced by years of military and diplomatic training that taught him to be observant and to be able to record and evaluate what he saw. He also strives for authenticity and does additional research drawing upon old photos, prints, engravings, written accounts and descriptions to achieve it. He explains that he has to understand how something works in order to be able to draw it. He is an avid collector of books and old craft and farming tools that find their way into his drawings. Mike is an active participant in the local Friday Painters art group.