Nature and figures occupy Michelle's art show they fit together and where they fit in the political landscape of our times. She's drawn to represent the underrepresented; the monarch butterflies that are struggling to hang on to their habitats, people of color who are continuously a target simply because of their color. Her work offers at times a subtle undercurrent of politics and at others a brash view of the tumbling of democracy affecting figure, flora, and fauna.
Education:
- Northern Illinois University - M.F.A.
- The School of the Art Institute of Chicago - B.F.A.
Media:
Watercolor and watercolor pencil, pen and ink, oils, acrylic
Areas of focus:
Narrative expressionistic painting with concerns for the environment
Website:
Exhibition highlights:
- "Wildlife Come To Lake Shore Drive, endangered species", Biological Sciences Department, University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago, IL - 2018
- "Nevertheless She Persisted: Women of Courage, Tenacity & Strength," Koehnline Museum of Art, Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL - 2018
- Studio b. Gallery, Three Oaks, MI - 2018
- "Endangered Species," US Botanic Garden, Washington DC - 2014
- "Narratives of Nature," Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago, IL - 2013
Other interests and inspirations:
She is a writer and poet and has poems published in poetry anthologies. She also writes and illustrates children's books.
Publication highlights:
- Yeatts, Tabatha "Temptation," Imperfect: poems about mistakes: an anthology for middle schoolers, - 2018
- Heidenrich Barnes, Michelle, "Mom's Beauty, Toady," and cover illustration, The Best of Today's Little Ditty 2016 & 2014-2015 - 2017 & 2016
- Van Horn, Gavin, and Dave Aftandilian, City Creatures: Animal Encounters in the Chicago Wilderness, University of Chicago Press - 2015
Michelle's teaching style:
She focuses on technique and process, and has students participate in group critiques. Her daily involvement in art, writing, and poetry hone her skills as an instructor.
Michelle loves EAC because . . .
She enjoys the high level that the students demand from their instructor, the variety of classes that instructors can offer, and the exhibits and programing offered. All of the aforementioned items in addition to the high caliber of the faculty make the EAC experience unique for students.
