Featured Artist Series: Painter Michael Goe

“My work has grown with me. It’s become a way of making sense of the people, the friendships, the moments, and the internal worlds that shaped who I am.”

Michael Goe moved to Hamilton, NY from Detroit, Michigan three years ago, where he worked at the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Now, he and his wife, a Colgate University faculty member, have made Hamilton their home. While starting over in a new community, training full-time to be an RN, and raising their young daughter, not many here knew about Michael’s remarkable work until recently. His paintings, first showcased at he Palace’s 2025 Kickoff Party and around town at the Village Art Walk this summer, have left us eager to see more… and to learn about the process behind them.

“I got connected to the creative circle here mostly through Henry,” Michael says. “Every art scene needs someone who brings people together, and he’s been that person for Hamilton. Before that, I was pretty content just making work on my own at home and keeping to myself. Henry encouraged me to show up, share what I was doing, and actually be part of the conversation. The Palace has given me a sense of connection and support that’s helped me grow and feel like my work belongs in a larger creative space.”

Michael’s journey as a painter began early, shaped by a family that encouraged creativity and expression and by teachers who helped him see art as something meaningful and powerful. A defining moment came in his early twenties, when he traveled to Paris with his brother, David. Visiting the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and the Pompidou Center was life-changing. “Standing in front of those paintings, I felt completely at home, as if I had found a place I never wanted to leave. That experience made me realize that art was not just something I admired, but something I needed to pursue.”

*Hug, Punch, Acrylic and Spray on Canvas, 36X48”*

After returning to college, he made the decision to commit fully to art. “It felt like a turning point - suddenly I had the space to think deeply about the ideas I cared about and explore them through art. Painting became both a form of expression and a way to understand myself and the world around me. It brought me a sense of freedom, purpose, and belonging.”

Michael earned his Master of Arts in Painting from Adams State University in 2016. Over the years his work has always circled back to the human figure and portrait. “In college, I remember watching one of my professors do a figure drawing demo,” he recalls. “It just felt effortless, like the form was already there and he was simply revealing it. I remember thinking, I want to be able to do that magic too!”

As his work evolved, Michael began painting people who were actually around him - friends and co-workers from his time at Pablo’s Pizza in Grand Junction, Colorado. “Most of us were artists or musicians, or just kind of drifting in that in-between space where you’re technically an adult but haven’t really figured anything out yet. We were living paycheck to paycheck, smoking cigarettes behind the restaurant, listening to Queens of the Stone Age, going to house parties almost every night. There was this mix of restlessness, humor, burnout, and searching… that energy became the foundation of my early paintings.”

Hindsight, that period marked a shift in his work - from simply “observing people to really trying to capture what it felt like to be us… Millennials grew up through huge cultural and economic shifts,” he says. “A lot of us had delayed milestones, felt unsure about the future, and carried this underlying anxiety alongside a kind of stubborn hope. When I paint millennials, I’m trying to paint all of that at once.”

Over time, Michael’s style loosened into something “more expressive, more abstract, sometimes a little surreal - because that’s how memory and emotion work.” He explains, “The goal stopped being technical accuracy and became more about mood, internal atmosphere, identity, and the emotional weight we carry.”

*Jeff, Acrylic and Spray on Wood, 3’4” x 4‘*

His lens for how art can shape us also stems from his experiences living in rural areas with limited access to cultural events. In 2014 Michael started the very first monthly Art Walk in a Colorado town “still considered to be the frontier by the U.S. Government.” Through that project, he saw firsthand how art can bring people together, build relationships, and strengthen communities.

Looking ahead, Michael is optimistic about the local art community. “I’m excited to see the art scene growing in a really genuine way,” he says. “People are showing up and supporting each other, and there is a lot of opportunity here for artists to showcase their work. There are so many talented people in this area who feel like ‘secret’ artists - people who have been making really thoughtful art and music quietly, without a platform. I’d love to see more of them brought forward, seen, and celebrated.”

You can view more of Michael’s work on Instagram (@mike_t.v._), Tumbr (michaelgoe.tumblr.com) and Facebook (facebook.com/MichaelGoethePainter). For inquiries or commission requests, please contact him at MichaelGoethePainter@gmail.com

Painter Michael Goe | Featured Artist Series

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