Michele's Artist Statement
I enjoy creating whimsical narrative artworks that examine relationships, maturity and finding truth in small matters. I create a main character undergoing a change that most viewers can relate to including myself. These experiences are rooted in finding our place in the world; developing our sense of character and moral compass. This narrative is drawn from my life, overheard conversations, my previous work with kids within the Family Court System and the advice I wish I had the wherewithal to stream into words when it really needs to be heard.
By interweaving my pen and ink drawings, painted images, printed materials and fabric, I focus on melding together various textures and lines that have a confident direction. It is important for the final work to have a balanced composition with the illusion of great depth of field and a surface that is energized and tidy.
The perspective in my art is purposefully wonky with important forms teetering on a solid more grounded form giving it an edgy anxious feel. This balancing act of artistic elements moves me towards realizing that snap in space that happens when you successfully move the viewer from seeing 2-dimensional space into believing it is 3-dimensional space even if the trees in the forest are made from purple paper music notes.
My favorite tools are a Uni-ball fine line ink pen, paper, industrial strength adhesive and a Mars plastic eraser. I can make anything with this small collection of tools; I feel confident using them. I can be decisive, analytical, express myself in words and images, be dimensional, change my mind, tear it apart and glue it back together in a different way.
Many factors influenced my artistic style. My line quality and color palette is heavily tainted by early Warner Brother's animation and I know that my love of the perspective smack of drawings that are forced into 3-dimensional space is drawn from the hours I've spent playing with pop-up books. Other artistic influences in random order include: the Caldacott Medal winning illustrations I saw during the weekly readings of my elementary school librarian, my grandmother’s junk/treasure drawer, the radio show, “This American Life,” collections of objects at cultural museums and artists Edward Gorey, Shell Silverstein, Joseph Cornell, Eva Hess and Hundertwasser.
Resume available upon request
By interweaving my pen and ink drawings, painted images, printed materials and fabric, I focus on melding together various textures and lines that have a confident direction. It is important for the final work to have a balanced composition with the illusion of great depth of field and a surface that is energized and tidy.
The perspective in my art is purposefully wonky with important forms teetering on a solid more grounded form giving it an edgy anxious feel. This balancing act of artistic elements moves me towards realizing that snap in space that happens when you successfully move the viewer from seeing 2-dimensional space into believing it is 3-dimensional space even if the trees in the forest are made from purple paper music notes.
My favorite tools are a Uni-ball fine line ink pen, paper, industrial strength adhesive and a Mars plastic eraser. I can make anything with this small collection of tools; I feel confident using them. I can be decisive, analytical, express myself in words and images, be dimensional, change my mind, tear it apart and glue it back together in a different way.
Many factors influenced my artistic style. My line quality and color palette is heavily tainted by early Warner Brother's animation and I know that my love of the perspective smack of drawings that are forced into 3-dimensional space is drawn from the hours I've spent playing with pop-up books. Other artistic influences in random order include: the Caldacott Medal winning illustrations I saw during the weekly readings of my elementary school librarian, my grandmother’s junk/treasure drawer, the radio show, “This American Life,” collections of objects at cultural museums and artists Edward Gorey, Shell Silverstein, Joseph Cornell, Eva Hess and Hundertwasser.
Resume available upon request