Biography
ART FROM PASSION
Michelle was born in Michigan and raised in Ohio before coming to Alberta, Canada as a young adult. She now resides in Edmonton, AB, Canada, with her husband Sean and their family. Michelle is the mother of eight and grandmother of fifteen.
Michelle became interested in art as a child while watching her grandfather paint during his retirement years. And it is a family affair, for her great, great grandfather was an artist as well, having painted the church ceiling in Serra San Bruno, Italy. Michelle discovered her talent and passion for art at 14, while sketching from life with a friend. She went on to study with a classically trained Dutch artist in commercial art, an experience she calls "a total immersion in art and technique". She has since studied with many of today's master artists.
In love with oils from the very first brush stroke, Michelle loves a mix of styles, tight with loose, thick with thin, broad with delicate, transparent with opaque. She uses the paint to its fullest to add vibrancy to her work. She gravitates toward painting figures, as she feels the figures offer a chance for storytelling. Michelle first learned to handle the issue of light by painting the still life, and now uses that knowledge of light and form on her figures. Given her passion for painting the figure, it is not surprising that her inspiration comes from masters such as Sorolla, Sargent, Bouguereau, Cecelia Beaux, Rockwell, Pino, and some of today's masters such as Weistling, Gerhartz, and Schmid.
Figurative Artwork
It is Michelle’s aim to capture the light and beauty of the moment... to tell the story of the splendor of life, while capturing thought, emotions and mood.
Plein air
After recent study this is becoming a new area of focus and growth.
Still Life
It is Michelle's desire to express the movement of light and richness of color, to capture the magnificence of the ordinary.
Michelle’s Philosophy
An excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI’s letter to Artists has special meaning to Michelle. Her motto is Per Dei Gratium, Pro Dei Gloria: By God’s Grace, for God’s Glory. She signs each painting with the private dedication Tota Tua (totally yours). Michelle says painting is a gift she received so she tries to give it back, never painting without prayer first. There is a deep spiritual element to her paintings.
"You are the custodians of beauty: thanks to your talent, you have the opportunity to speak to the heart of humanity, to touch individual and collective sensibilities, to call forth dreams and hopes, to broaden the horizons of knowledge and of human engagement... be grateful, then, for the gifts you have received and be fully conscious of your great responsibility to communicate beauty, to communicate in and through beauty!" - Pope Benedict XVI
Per Dei Gratium, Pro Dei Gloria
