Michael Vanpatten

Michael studied art during college with courses in photography,
drawing, oil painting, 3D designs, advanced painting, art history, ceramics,
and introductory architecture.  However, he
found his first profession in designing & developing computer systems, then
in technology sales & marketing, and finally with mergers &
acquisitions as a Chief Financial Officer of technology companies. 

He continued
his photography work while travelling the world and captured images in the Mediterranean,
Caribbean, Europe, Greek Islands, and around the United States.  Upon the sale of his most recent company in
2022, he started developing more artistic images of his favorite subjects
including beaches, boats, islands, waterfalls, celebrities, marinas,
cityscapes, interesting skies, entertaining structures, wildlife, and digital
surrealism.

He now uses his computer knowledge and digital tools to
create interesting surrealistic and interpretive reality images to challenge
the viewers' minds. Many of his images include the Artist hidden as the ViewFinder,
sometimes disguised as a pirate, a reflection, or other characters.

Michael currently limits his signed limited-edition image sales
to 250 copies before retiring them. His target markets are professional office
spaces, conference facilities, restaurants, hotels, galleries, institutions, and
professional collectors.

He and his artwork have been highlighted in publications
such as USA Today, LA Weekly, and Reuters. His artwork was chosen in 2025 by
the Governor for display in the Georgia State Capitol Building Gallery.

Michael earned his MBA from George Mason University (GMU), BS from Elmira College, and
is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). 
He currently teaches part-time online business courses for Southern New
Hampshire University (SNHU) and is a Board Member for several Art and
Technology organizations.

Please feel free to contact him via email
Michael@ViewFinderArts.com

View his artwork at www.ViewFinderArts.com or
www.MichaelVanPatten.Art


Portfolio:

Interpretive Reality

Interpretive images from various photographic sources using a unique perspective, filtering and colorization. A dose of reality with innovative interpretation with some digital imbellishments for simulating the imagination.

Cozumel Beach Abstractions “Cozumel Beach Abstractions”

Reality photos taken from a beach on Cozumel, Mexico digitally rearranged, colorized, cropped and enhanced for a fun interesting image to enjoy and share with others. This image captures a surreal, festive beach scene infused with Mexican folk art. Vibrant sculptures of a fantastical dog-like alebrije, and a dragon-like figure with bat wings and curled horns are displayed on a sunny beach. A jet ski and a kayak rest on the sand near the water, suggesting beachside adventures. Overhead, a large, colorful parrot soars through the clear blue sky and two margarita glasses rimmed with green salt add a celebratory touch. The ViewFinder is watching.

Paris Eiffel Tower from the Street “Paris Eiffel Tower from the Street”

This image presents a striking, stylized view of the Eiffel Tower rising dramatically between classic Parisian buildings, but with bold, surreal color manipulation.

The perspective looks upward from street level, with the Eiffel Tower centered and framed by elegant, historic buildings on both sides. The architecture features ornate balconies, detailed facades, and traditional European design, guiding the eye toward the tower in the distance.

What makes the image especially distinctive is its vivid, non-natural color palette. The sky is rendered in a glowing green tone, while the buildings are tinted in bright magenta and pink hues. Trees in the foreground appear in intense red, adding to the dreamlike, almost psychedelic atmosphere.

Soft clouds drift across the sky behind the tower, and the strong vertical lines of the buildings and the tower create a sense of height and grandeur. The combination of familiar Parisian scenery with surreal colors gives the image an artistic, futuristic, and slightly otherworldly feel. The ViewFinder is watching.

Space Port City “Space Port City”

This image depicts a vivid, surreal “spaceport city” embedded within a cavernous, otherworldly landscape. At the center is a sprawling, futuristic structure composed of domes, towers, and geometric frameworks, all glowing with intense neon colors—reds, yellows, greens, and electric blues. The architecture feels like a hybrid of a fantasy castle, a sci-fi colony, and a carnival of light, with spired rooftops and glass-like enclosures radiating energy.

The scene is symmetrically mirrored along the horizontal axis, creating a reflection effect that doubles the city and enhances its dreamlike, kaleidoscopic quality. Surrounding the central structure are rugged rock formations bathed in saturated hues of purple, blue, and pink, giving the impression of an alien cave or a distant planet.

Floating around the edges are classic flying saucers and small spacecraft, suggesting this is an active interstellar hub. Tiny human figures near the right side add scale, emphasizing the immense size of the glowing structures.

Overall, the image feels like a fusion of a futuristic metropolis and a fantastical underground world—vibrant, immersive, and alive with color, as if it were a hidden galactic civilization thriving beneath the surface of an alien world. The ViewFinder is watching.

Digital Surrealism

Using Digital Creations, Photography, Arificial Intelligence & Digital Tools to create innovation & imaginative surrealistic images for interesting stimulation of thought and conversations.

Pickles Playing Pickleball “Pickles Playing Pickleball”

Animated pickles and people are energetically playing pickleball on multiple courts. The setting is colorful and lively, with each character wearing sport attire. The younger pickles in the foreground are learning to avoid playing in the kitchen. The ViewFinder is watching.

Beach Island Walkway “Beach Island Walkway”

This image is a creative, surreal composite that blends two natural environments into a single, imaginative scene.

In the foreground, a wooden boardwalk stretches forward, inviting the viewer into the image. It leads toward a lush, green forest filled with tall trees and dense foliage. This forest is framed inside a large circular portal or window with a soft green border, making it feel like a separate world or destination.

Surrounding the circular forest scene is a calm, clear body of water that resembles a tropical shoreline. The water is shallow and transparent, with gentle ripples visible across the sandy bottom, and it extends to a distant horizon under a bright blue sky.

Several birds are captured mid-flight around the scene—one prominently on the left, another on the right, and a smaller one in the distance—adding motion and a sense of freedom. The juxtaposition of the beach-like water outside the circle and the forest path inside creates a dreamlike contrast, suggesting a gateway between two tranquil natural settings.

Overall, the image conveys themes of escape, transition, and exploration—like stepping from one peaceful world into another. The ViewFinder is watching.

Falling from Space “Falling from Space”

This image presents a surreal and playful collision of space and Earth. In the foreground, an astronaut in a white spacesuit appears to be tumbling or free-falling through the sky, arms and legs loosely outstretched as if caught mid-drift. The reflective visor hints at a human presence inside, but the figure feels detached from any spacecraft—suspended in an impossible moment.

Below, a serene coastal landscape stretches out: turquoise-blue water dotted with numerous small boats, likely anchored in a calm bay. Along the shoreline, a narrow strip of buildings and a railway line hug the coast, while a hillside covered in trees and greenery rises in the foreground, adding depth and contrast.

In the distance, a bird glides over the water, reinforcing the natural, peaceful setting—yet the astronaut’s presence disrupts reality. The juxtaposition creates a dreamlike narrative: a figure from space drifting into a tranquil seaside world, blending the vastness of the cosmos with the quiet beauty of Earth. The ViewFinder is watching.

Abstract Creations

Various colorful Abstract Images created by different techniques including enhanced photography, generative artificial intelligence components, item cloning, positional cropping, applied filtering, and advanced image technologies.

Walkways Toward the Future “Walkways Toward the Future”

This image presents a highly stylized, surreal view of landscaped walkways, but dramatically altered with neon color effects and spatial distortion. The environment suggests a warm, possibly coastal location, reinforced by the presence of palm-like foliage.

What makes the image striking is its intense, artificial color palette—vivid greens and magentas dominate the entire composition, giving it a psychedelic, almost infrared or cyberpunk aesthetic. Shadows and highlights are exaggerated, and the sky appears dark and speckled, resembling a star-filled night rather than a typical daytime sky.

The perspective is also disorienting with the walkway bending in an exaggerated, almost fluid shape. This creates a dreamlike, gravity-defying effect, as if the architecture is twisting through space rather than sitting firmly on the ground.

Overall, it feels like a fusion of architectural photography and digital art—transforming the ordinary into a surreal, otherworldly environment. Walking toward your future might include a choice of paths and or colors. The ViewFinder Pirate is watching.

Hall of Memories “Hall of Memories”

This image depicts a highly immersive, surreal environment that feels like a fusion of digital sculpture, glass art, and futuristic architecture.

The scene is filled with countless translucent, bubble-like spheres that cover the floor, walls, and ceiling, creating a dense, almost organic texture. These spheres are glossy and reflective, tinted in cool blue tones, and many appear to contain tiny glowing orange points inside—like embers or distant lights suspended within glass.

Running vertically through the space are thin, bright light beams, adding a sense of structure and rhythm while enhancing the futuristic atmosphere. The reflective surfaces multiply these lights endlessly, making the environment feel vast and infinite, like a mirrored chamber.

It glows in vibrant electric blue with bold magenta accents, standing out sharply against the cooler background. Its smooth, flowing contours contrast with the repetitive spherical textures around it, making it the focal point of the composition. The entire space feels fluid and alive, as if it’s part of a digital ecosystem or an abstract memoryscape.

Overall, the image conveys a sense of otherworldly beauty—like being inside a futuristic, glass-formed sanctuary or a surreal data-driven dream, where light, reflection, and symmetry create a mesmerizing, almost hypnotic experience. The intricate patterns and the reflective surfaces give off a futuristic and otherworldly vibe. The ViewFinder Pirate is watching.

Abstractions of Paris “Abstractions of Paris”

This image presents a striking surreal composition set within a futuristic, glass-domed interior. The ceiling is a geometric grid of softly glowing panels, casting a cool, diffused light across the scene.The combination of vivid neon hues, reflective surfaces, and dreamlike objects creates a scene that feels like a fusion of art installation, sci-fi environment, and surreal dreamscape—where nature, humanity, and technology collide in an imaginative, otherworldly space.

These are abstractions found in Paris including a metallic tree with square-shaped leaves stands in the foreground of a modern interior, with a large, textured golden head sculpture visible in the background. The ceiling is composed of a grid of glass, and a colorful, illuminated bar adds a vibrant touch to the scene. The ViewFinder is watching.