Instagram @MichaelSchultheisArt

ABOUT MICHAEL

Michael Schultheis has exhibited at the National Academies, the Rotunda Gallery at the National Academy of Sciences, Fairbanks Gallery, Oregon State University, The United States Embassies in Greece and Switzerland, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Washington State University, and Shenzhen Art Institute in Shenzhen, China. 

He is included in international public and private collections including the National Museum of Mathematics, National Academy of Sciences, The Mathematical Association of America, City of Seattle, City of Portland, and Tacoma Art Museum. 

Schultheis developed a method for visual storytelling using the language of mathematics called Analytical Expressionism, and has lectured at Wentworth Institute of Technology, Seattle University, Amazon, George Washington University, and the National Academies. 

EDUCATION

1993   M.S., Labor Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

1990 B.A., Economics, Washington State University, Pullman, WA

1989 History and Italian, Scuola Per Stranieri, Siena, Italy      

Likening his canvas to a chalkboard, Michael Schultheis paints layers of mathematical equations and drawings that describe the form and motion of three-dimensional geometric shapes.  He uses these geometric relationships to tell stories of human relationships.

On the canvas, he works through real math equations and paints how he visualizes geometric models that can tell stories - everything from Greek allegories to his own personal discoveries.   People who know this language of math can visualize the geometric forms in the internal chalkboard of their minds and experience true conceptual geometry.  People who do not know this language, experience what it looks like to him.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2024

The Flowers of Fibonacci, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA

Daydreams, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Dallas, TX

2023

Art in Embassies Exhibition, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Mission to the European Union, Brussels, Belgium

New Paintings and Sculpture, J.Willott Gallery, Palm Desert, CA

The Space Between, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Houston, TX

Venn Diagrams in Painting and Sculpture, Winston Wächter Fine Art, 

New York, NY

2022

The Moons of Galileo, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA

2021

Vitruvian Breath, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA

Blackboards Whiteboards, J.Willott Gallery, Palm Desert, CA

Elsewhere, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Houston, TX

Dürer Moments in Breathing, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR

2020

Venn Pirouettes, National Museum of Mathematics, New York, NY

2019   

Venn Pirouettes, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Washington State University, Pullman, WA

Luscious Ecstasies of Ceva, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Houston, TX

All Our Infinite Senses in the Cycloids of Ceva, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR

Venn Luminosity, Winston Wächter Fine Art, New York, NY

Venn Couplings, J.Willott Gallery, Palm Desert, CA

2018           

Venn Pirouettes, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA

Venn Euphorias,  J.Willott Gallery, Palm Desert, CA

Venn Relationships, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Dallas, TX

2017           

Venn Constellations, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR

Songs of Pythagoras, J.Willott Gallery, Palm Desert, CA

2016           

Stories Told in Calculus, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA

Pythagorean Gems, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Dallas, TX

Integrating on Celadon, J. Willott Gallery, Palm Desert, CA

2015           

Pythagorean Interludes, Forré and Company, Aspen, CO  

Pythagorean Eyes, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR

Dance of the Limacons, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Houston, TX

2014           

Dreams of Pythagoras, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA

The Geometry of Archimedes, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA

2013           

Universal Couplings of Archimedes, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR

Isosceles Cones of Archimedes, Chase Young Gallery, Boston, MA

Archimedes Sphaerica, Pryor Fine Art, Atlanta, GA

Archimedes Ellipses, Davis and Cline Gallery, Ashland, OR

2012           

Seas of Archimedes, Forré and Company, Aspen, CO  

Gardens of Archimedes, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA

2011           

Spherical Triangles of Menelaus, David Richard Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM

Winds of Menelaus, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR

Sails of Euclid, Davis and Cline Gallery, Ashland, OR

Spheres of Menelaus, Chase Young Gallery, Boston, MA

2010           

Lotus of Euclid, Forré and Company, Aspen, CO  

Optics of Euclid, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA  

Eccentricities of Apollo,  Howard Hughes Institute, Chevy Chase, MD

2009           

Wings of Apollonius, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR

Loci of Apollonius, Davis and Cline Gallery, Ashland, OR

Conic Symmetries, Chase Gallery, Boston, MA

Apollonius Blossoms, The PEW Charitable Trusts, Washington, D.C.

2008           

Conics of Apollonius, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA

2007           

Villarçeau Series, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR

Interior Toroids, Chase Gallery, Boston, MA, color catalog 

Villarçeau Circles, Davis and Cline Gallery, Ashland, OR 

Toroids of Ganymede, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA

2006           

Toroid Glissettes, Winston Wächter Fine Art, New York, NY, color catalog

Equilateral Toroids, Davis and Cline Gallery, Ashland, OR 

Spherical Lunes, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR 

Limaçons, Chase Gallery, Boston, MA

2005           

Cardioids, Ballard Fetherston Gallery, Seattle, WA

Cycloids, Rotunda Gallery, National Academy of Sciences, WA, D.C.

Cycloids, Keck Center Gallery, National Academies, Washington, D.C.

Cycloids Preview, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR

 Cycloids Preview, Ballard Fetherston Gallery, Seattle, WA

Harmonic Oscillations, Fairbanks Gallery, Oregon State University, OR

2004           

Writing on the Wall, Ballard Fetherston Gallery, Seattle, WA

Harmonic Quadrants, Cervini Haas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ

Parabolic Symmetries, Davis and Cline Gallery, Ashland, OR

Harmonic Oscillations, Froelick Gallery, Portland, OR

Geometric Progressions, Soren Christensen Gallery, New Orleans, LA

2003           

Correlations, Ballard Fetherston Gallery, Seattle, WA

Elasticity, Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland, OR

2002           

Equilibria, Soren Christensen, New Orleans, LA

Open Systems, Ballard Fetherston Gallery, Seattle, WA

White Math, Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland, OR   

LECTURES

2019  Washington State University, Pullman, WA

2018  Honors College, Washington State University, Pullman, WA

2018  Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

2017  Amazon, Inc., Seattle WA

2016  Joint Mathematics Meeting, Seattle, WA

2015  12th Annual Bhatia Lecture, Washington State University, Pullman, WA

2014  Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA

2014  Honors College Alumni, Washington State University, Pullman, WA

2014  Seattle University, Seattle, WA

2011  The Karl Jonske Memorial Lecture Series, Catlin Gabel, Portland, OR

2005  George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

2005  Keck Center, National Academies, Washington, D.C.

2005  Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

2003  Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects, Seattle, WA

CORPORATE, PRIAVTE, AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc., Houston, TX

Blue Nile, Seattle, WA

Boston Consulting Group, Seattle, WA

Citigroup, Seattle, WA

City of Seattle, Seattle, WA

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Seattle, WA

Dendreon Corporation, Bridgewater, NJ

Four Seasons Olympic Hotel, Seattle, WA

Honors College, Washington State University, Pullman, WA

Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Washington, D.C.

Hyatt Regency, Bellevue, WA

M Financial Holdings Inc., Portland, OR

Madison Development, Seattle, WA

Martin Smith Corporation, Seattle, WA

The Mathematical Association of America, Washington D.C.

Maybelle Clarke MacDonald Fund, Portland, OR

Meriwether Group, Portland, OR

National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.

Novo Nordisk, Seattle, WA

Olive 8, Seattle, WA

Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR

PacificSource, Springfield, OR

Portable Works Collection, City of Portland, OR

Portland Community College, Portland, OR

Rainier Pacific Bank, Tacoma, WA

Ritz Carlton, New York, NY

Seattle Athletic Club, Seattle, WA

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, Portland, OR

Summit Cardiology, Seattle, WA

Suncadia Resort, Cle Elum, WA

Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA

Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA

The United States Embassy, Athens, Greece

The United States Embassy, Bern, Switzerland    

University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA

Weber State University, Ogden, UT

Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA

Westin, Seattle WA

Bouquets, Luminaries, Menageries Stories told in Calculus

Mathematics gives us the perfect way to describe the dynamic nature of relationships, both geometric and social. In this group of paintings, I create geometric models that tell stories about how people connect with each other. The most prominent model in this series is the Tholos, inspired the ancient Greek architectural feature found in many city centers. Built on a base of concentric cylinders, the tholos is a vaulted sanctuary where important meetings took place. It looks similar to a conical beehive. In the same way, my model allows visual understanding of the space between two people: their own private sanctuary.

The Relationship Tholos begins on the first level of the beehive-shaped tholos, with two people orbiting to find each other, their soul mate for example. Their level of consciousness is painted in the shape of polar curves, and when they meet, their collective consciousness is rendered as the overlapping area, similar to a Venn diagram. This interstice can change as they create a new orbit together, called a Bouquet. Each consecutive layer of their conjoined orbit maps another measure of time, and a result of their careful decisions to diverge or recalibrate and converge to stay together. The loci of these decision points form a constellation of polar curves called a Luminary. This model allows us to see the importance of conscious decisions in a relationship. It is also a determining factor in the larger story of how we connect with all the diverse people in our lives, called a Menagerie.

Using the timeless language of mathematics, I explore how geometric models can be a vivid way to understand human stories. In addition to painting the geometric shapes that I use to tell my stories, I include the equations from which those forms were derived, so that viewers who know mathematics can see the geometry in their own minds. This is conceptual geometry in art.

Michael Schultheis