We Cry Because You Are Gone | Mike Egan

Acrylic on Wood, 18"x18", 2026

My paintings are created using acrylic paint on wood panels, stretched canvases and found objects. The subject matter in my work for “Nine Lives: New Works By Mike Egan” finds me dealing with familiar themes of life, death and religion. I spent years living and working in funeral homes as a funeral director and embalmer and I've become quite familiar with all three subjects. In life we are trying to figure things out, what is real and what to believe. Through funerals we tend to celebrate not only someone dying but we also celebrate that person’s life. Through religion we hope that our loved ones are in a better place, that they are not suffering anymore. My inspiration comes from many different sources: The German Expressionists, stained glass windows, Halloween, Southern folk art, funeral homes, horror films, music, lowbrow/outsider art, and religious icons. I am always adding and subtracting ideas and colors to my work to make each painting have its own story. Each painting is in some way a goodbye to somebody who passed away; they are little funeral portraits.