Biography

I was born and raised in Elk Grove Village, IL, a suburb of Chicago. I have always had a love for art. My family has a history of creativity, so it became part of my life at a young age. While my mother was very instrumental with my drawing, I was also fortunate to have a grandfather who carved and a father who made beautiful furniture in wood. My grandfather taught me to carve at age 8, and my father taught me the basics of woodworking at a young age as well. Because of this background, I have always put an emphasis on woodcarving.
While in high school, I had the opportunity to take art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. This experience changed the direction of my work. I had been interested in art since I could remember, but while at the Art Institute, I decided that I wanted to make art my career.
On a visit to Bellarmine College in Louisville, KY, I was fortunate enough to go to the home studio of Bob Lockhart. I fell in love with his work and decided that Bellarmine was for me.
I graduated from Bellarmine with a degree in Fine Art in December of 1989. While in school I ventured into ceramics, and I also did some stone  and steel sculpture, but I still came back to woodcarving. Even now, while I have continued to expand the mediums  and while building furniture and cabinetry is my living, my favorite is still three-dimensional woodcarving.

Unmasked—Cherry and Spalted Maple Sculpture

Trinity Designs, LLC

Art Work, Fine Furniture, and Cabinetry

Mike McCarthy—Artist / Owner

 

Artists Statement

Art should be everywhere. I use my love of art to create furniture and cabinetry that is both functional and beautiful. This includes adding cast aluminum or bronze, wood carving, bending wood, or other artistic elements to creat unique pieces. I have also added some of my work to work done by others to give their work a more artistic touch.

My art combines realistic and abstract images to create art with meaning. I believe you must be able to draw or carve realistic images before you can abstract them. In my drawings, I combine objects in different ways to make the piece more interesting. I start with objects from a still life or from sketches I have done for a sculpture. I then place the objects around the page in a manner that creates a collage effect. This enables me to use realistic images to create an abstract piece. Because I am color blind, many of my drawings may use color in a very different way than you are used to seeing them. This is not necessarily a planned effect, but always a welcome surprise. My sculpture is where I have the most fun. I enjoy viewing the curved pieces of many of the modern artists and use similar curviture in my work. Even when doing the human figure, I like to put some abstract element in the piece to provoke thought. This combination of realistic and abstract defines my style.

Walnut Hall Table with Aluminum Banding