MICAH OFSTEDAHL

Born in 1982 in Austin, Minnesota, Micah Ofstedahl reimagines the natural world as a space where perception bends and reality fractures. Now based in Oregon, he explores what he calls “altered realism,” where hyper-realistic landscapes are disrupted by unseen forces—patterns and distortions that ripple through the familiar, revealing hidden structures beneath the surface of reality. His work invites viewers to question what is tangible and what exists just beyond our perception. Beginning with a realistic representation of a landscape, a touch of mystery is then added with patterns of clear distortions as if made of water, glass, or invisible energies.

This evolution follows a decade-long exploration of “biological surrealism,” influenced by anatomical forms and the intricate 19th-century illustrations of Ernst Haeckel. Ofstedahl’s fascination with organic structures is rooted in an early sensitivity to precision and form—a childhood impulse to correct every stray mark in his coloring books, an instinct that would later translate into an obsessive exploration of structure, movement, and balance.

Formally trained at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he earned a BFA in sculpture and ceramics, Micah’s sculptural background continues to inform his practice. His paintings exist at the intersection of control and chaos, where the solidity of the landscape meets the ephemeral distortions that ripple through it. Inspired by M.C. Escher and Salvador Dalí, his work does not merely depict nature but exposes its fractures—suggesting that time, space, and perception are more fluid than they appear.

He has shown with Arch Enemy Arts, Museum of the Southwest Midland, AQUA Art Miami, Vanguard Invitational, Melbourne, AUS, Hi-Fructose Invitational. He is featured in interviews in arts publications Hi-Fructose and Juxtapoz Magazine.