The Meyer Gallery a Fine Art Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Michael Gallarda has been creating masterful trompe l'oeil paintings since the early 1990’s. He has assembled a body of work steeped in that rare and time-honored genre, yet still possessing a thoroughly modern aesthetic.
Gallarda’s first attempt at trompe l'oeil was to paint a piece of paper which was tacked to a board. The reaction Michael got to his painting from observers intrigued him. The response was different that any he’d received from his works. People observing his works would see the painted piece of paper as if it were a real piece of paper.

Since he began working in trompe l'oeil, Gallarda has mastered certain techniques the distinguish trompe l'oeil from still life painting. First he makes sure that objects in his pieces are actual-size. He also makes sure that his compositions are self-contained so that they may be passed off for the real thing. He uses precise brush work and a slow build-up of transparent and opaque glazes to create images intended to "fool the eye". The details of the objects are tightly controlled in order to create the illusion of three-dimensionality.

Michael’s studio is a small room with blacked-out windows. He needs to have total control over the lighting. He will place two easels side by side with the construction of his painting subject on one easel and his gessoed Masonite canvas on the other. For the subject of his painting, the lighting is set up to simulate exhibition lighting, with the illuminating light being cast from above, as it would hang in a gallery or museum. This makes the shadows in his paintings look exactly as they would if the actual subjects portrayed were hung in the same spot under the same lighting.

Gallarda's work has been exhibited in England, Mexico, and throughout the United States, His works have been added to such permanent collections as the Icelandic Consulate, and the Godboldt Art Museum, in Texas. He is also a member of the Trompe L'Oeil Society. Meyer Gallery is delighted to represent the masterful works of Michael Gallarda.