European Cruise Line Taps Local Artist

Hampton Bays resident Michael Yurick did not think much of it when he got a phone call last spring about possibly contributing art to a new, soon-to-be launched European cruise ship.Several conversations and email exchanges later, it finally hit him. This was real.

Over the course of a year, the artist completed a 35-piece commission for the newest ship in the P&O Cruises fleet, “Britannia,” which is set to launch this spring from England.

Mr. Yurick finished the commission just weeks ago—25 mixed-media compositions from his “Shadowplay” series, and 10 paintings from his “Rising Sky” series—and is soon shipping the framed pieces to their new home: the dining halls and bars of the 1,082-foot-long, 141,000-ton ship.

“It was so interesting to work on this commission,” Mr. Yurick said during a recent interview at his home. “I am inspired by my environment, by textures, by shape and dimension and space. I just feel like I want to build on those spaces and those layers that maybe don’t make sense to other people. Every move I make, all of these little pieces that become a part of the construction, is an artistic decision that I will keep true to.”

A Brooklyn native, Mr. Yurick said he has always been inspired by the freedom of the art world to be creative and explored it at Valley Stream North High School in Franklin Square. He liked what he found and his art teacher, Bettina Savuto, encouraged him to pursue his passion.

He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design from Syracuse University before moving to the East End in 2003, where he taught a graphic design course at Southampton College after working in the field in Manhattan. Now the creative coordinator for Douglas Elliman, he pours his energy into real estate advertising campaigns when he’s not working in his own studio.

“I have always been drawn to creativity—making something out of nothing,” Mr. Yurick said. “I always just had my hand in on that, and it was as if I had to fulfill my vision by actually constructing something. As time went on, I was still very much drawn to it and my passion grew, so I knew there was no other way but to live creatively for me.”

The cruise line first approached Mr. Yurick about his Shadowplay series upon discovering his work on Google, he reported. The photographic montages—created by layering pictures of shadows, or objects, in order to alter the dimension, tone and feel of the pieces—actually began in 1994 when the artist experimented by cutting shapes from print samples he had been experimenting with.

From there, he constructed them onto a board, building the piece up—falling in love with the resulting shadows and textures it created.

“They are mixed-media, dimensional collages,” he explained. “Abstract, with a figurative sensibility about it. It is very detail-oriented work.”

A month after being commissioned for the Shadowplay pieces, the cruise line contacted Mr. Yurick again, this time interested in a series of acrylic paintings he had finished roughly a decade earlier. The 10 pieces, part of his Rising Sky series, are painted on masonite board and mounted on wood, designed to create optical illusions for the naked eye by detailing the space where the sea and sky meet—a logical fit for a cruise ship.

One of the things that impressed Mr. Yurick most about the ship, from pictures he has seen, is the luxuriousness of it all, noting that the fabrics and warm colors make for a very opulent experience on board.

“It really is wonderful,” he said. “I had to keep some sensibility about my work to keep in line with it all. In some of my original pictures, I did very brave colors, so I created more warming tones here to fit the style.”

In the spring, Mr. Yurick will be traveling to England for the launch of the ship, which will feature art by dozens of other artists from around the world.

“I never even considered that something like this would happen. I think that makes it more fantastic, that they came to me,” Mr. Yurick said of the cruise line approaching him to use his art. “It became such a test in self-discipline and keeping true to the artwork. That is the most important part to me, to stay true to the sensibility of the art. And I believe I did that.”

For more information about Michael Yurick, visit michaelyurick.com.