Through light, memory and feeling, Michael F. Rumsby has created a body of work shaped by colour and a search for authenticity
Michael F. Rumsby has spent much of his life in search of beauty: in landscapes, in travel, in memories, and within himself. This summer, the painter brings that deeply personal visual language to ArtCatto Gallery, in Loulé, where he joins a collective exhibition alongside Thomas Bossard, Seaty, and Craig Alan from June 18.
Born in the United Kingdom in 1968, Rumsby now splits his time between his studio in Saussignac, France, and the Algarve, where he has been painting for more than a decade and to which he returns every winter.
The connection runs deep: his family has maintained ties to southern Portugal for almost 40 years.
Today, the Algarve is both a refuge and a source of inspiration.
“I come here to paint and enjoy the mild climate and sunny days, which give my work a vital force that is harder to find in northern Europe,” he explains.
That natural light runs throughout his paintings. Rumsby’s works stand out for their intense colour, expressive brushstrokes, and a sensory energy in which landscapes and memories merge into emotionally charged compositions. The artist describes his work as “happy art; big, bold, and full of colour”.
He studied Art at Lancaster University, though his path was far from conventional. For nearly two decades, he worked in international corporate communications between London, Brussels, and Paris, eventually becoming corporate communications director for the L’Oréal Group.
Along the way, he collected journeys, visual references, and experiences that would later feed his artistic practice. “Even during the period when I moved away from my creative truth, I was constantly building a library of ideas and painting images in my mind,” he recalls.
It wasn’t until he was nearly 40 that Rumsby returned fully to the art world. More than a career change, it was a way to reconnect with himself.
“I spent many years doing what I wasn’t meant to do and being who I wasn’t meant to be. And I spent twice that time hiding the truth about my own sexuality,” he says. That emotional dimension remains present in his work, expressed through vibrant and optimistic compositions. “Collectors tell me they find great joy in my work – that my paintings make them smile. That’s the greatest compliment,” he says.
Travel continues to play a central role in his creative process. He grew up on the coast of East Anglia, in the UK, surrounded by the dramatic and ever-changing skies of the North Sea, a visual legacy that still informs his work today.
As a child, one of his earliest artistic revelations came through J. M. W. Turner. “The Fighting Temeraire showed me that a painting can tell a story through the feeling it conveys, not simply through the subject it depicts,” he explains.
Whilst Rumsby acknowledges affinities with artists such as Matisse, Chagall, and Hockney, his work resists rigid categorisation. Above all, there is an intuitive search for emotion and authenticity.
“Painting must come from inner truth, from what matters and what needs to be expressed,” he says, when asked what advice he would give to artists just starting out.
Spontaneity also defines his working process. “I approach the canvas with only a vague idea of the subject,” he explains. From there, everything depends on the energy of the moment: light, mood, music, and even the weather influence the colours and composition.
The works he is presenting at ArtCatto were produced in the Algarve between January and March of this year. This collection features landscapes and still-life pieces linked through vibrant colour and free, expressive brushwork.
“They are big, bold, colourful paintings that evoke the happiness I feel whilst creating them.” Among them is Walk, one of the most personal works in the exhibition, inspired by the artist’s winter morning walks overlooking the Ria Formosa.
Represented by galleries in France, the UK, and the US, Rumsby sees the exhibition in Loulé as a natural step in his international journey. In 2025, he published A Life In Colour, an “exquisitely produced” book exploring his life story, artistic influences, and personal experiences through a broad selection of works created over the past 15 years. “It’s an extraordinary recognition of my life,” he says.
Still, for Rumsby, some of the most meaningful moments remain the quietest ones. “There are conversations with collectors who tell me how much a work means to them – the joy it brings them and why. Those conversations are always very special,” he reflects.
Whilst preparing new works for 2027 and 2028 in his studio, Rumsby remains involved in projects that combine art, wine, and philanthropy through The Ruby Foundation, whilst also preparing international exhibitions and a collaboration with Bentley.
___
Follow Essential Algarve Magazine on Instagram, Facebook, X or Linkedin for more news!
You might also like:
NO COMMENT