A pocket watch, a palette knife, a matchbox; oil painter Michael McSorley brings together the unexpected, the ordinary, and the unassuming through carefully constructed three-dimensional assemblages in “Collections of Perceptions.”

McSorley merges fine art with carpentry through his masterfully painted and expertly crafted assemblages. McSorley first paints a collection of individual still lifes, favoring curiously humble objects with reflective surfaces, such as glass, ceramic, and metal. McSorley explores the relationships between his chosen items, grouping them aesthetically and conceptually. Once attached together with dowel rods and corner brackets, the resulting assemblages evoke the idea of a curio cabinet—some offering assorted trinkets, others portraying faces and places.

McSorley hopes to challenge the way viewers value and categorize everyday items, places, and familiar faces. Therefore, the meaning behind the object groupings or the connections between them, might not be immediately apparent. After all, “What does a sweet potato have to do with a sauce pan?” McSorley remarked, referencing the bemusing composition of In the Kitchen. Viewers will discover that In the Kitchen was inspired by a poem, and another assemblage, Possessions, by a painting: one which describes a recipe for sweet potato pie, and another that tells the story of a traveling salesman.

He expects some viewers to be perplexed at his choice to commit such ordinary objects to oil and canvas, wryly remarking that viewers might say, “Why would he decide to paint that?” By shining the spotlight on objects that normally disappear into the background, McSorley has instilled his assemblages with sly humor, hoping to make his viewers smile. Brought to center stage, the subjects of his still lifes adopt unique personalities. In Possessions, a mousetrap seems coy; a tambourine, jittery.

McSorley hopes viewers will appreciate the subtle elegance of the unpretentious, yet ingeniously functional items he portrays. Through his paintings, McSorley reminds us that even the most commonplace of objects have been thoughtfully designed, from the squat belly of a teapot to the woven bowl of a corn cob pipe—both of which are among the many curiosities to be discovered in “Collections of Perceptions.”

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