CARLOS MICHAEL FINN (b. 1974) is an abstract oil painter from Castle Rock, Colorado. 

Finn’s work glitches and harmonizes Basquiat’s lines and Miro’s colors with goofball Warner Brothers animation and the steady, passionate geometry of kid art. His trademarks include deep-rooted primary colors (particularly green and black), rock-solid craftsmanship, sculptural elements, and found or floating frames. Many of Finn’s works start as sketches on coasters or in corners of other paintings, then stretch and zoom along until their final form. In this way, all his work is in constant, vibrant conversation. A lifelong painter, Finn exhibits in group and solo shows across the U.S., and he places work in private collections of all kinds.

In his naturally-lit apartment, which is also his studio, Finn keeps busy on four or five paintings at once. He never uses an easel, preferring instead to lay works-in-progress directly on the floor, then building and carving thick layers of paint with brushes, cardboard, and wooden skewers in a ritualistic, full-body practice. Works and conversations build as the light changes and layers dry. Then an eye, ear, or arm locks into place, and finally the composition pops in an a-ha moment Finn usually describes as a greeting: a sudden, satisfying familiarity. This moment is often also funny, sharp, or tender: an easy understanding belying the humble hours and decades he dedicates to each piece.