This artist was born in London and now lives in Los Angeles. She started working as a publisher designing book covers. She currently works as a freelancer. In a recent interview where she was asked about the creative process of her pictures, she said, "I love the stories I can tell through my work. I search out discarded photos and create stories of who I imagine the people may have been. Being able to use my imagination in such a way is so much fun. I gather clues from the image and the persons demeanor, clothing and surroundings. I make assumptions and take guesses". She believes that they eyes tell a great deal and that there are endless possibilities which is what makes her work so interesting and inventive.
Michelle uses a lot of different media in her work such as photographs, fabric swatches, newspaper clippings and other things.
The images she uses to create her final work are precious to her. She combines her passion for family pieces and often makes pieces on commission.
In an article for Real Simple (November 2007) she talks about how she can spend hours seeking good photographs because old snapshots are plagued by sunspots, fingers on the lenses, double exposures or the takers own shadow. She picks ones of people you think you would like to know.
Michelle believes her portraits bring life to photographic history, each piece with its own narrative; trying to tell the story of the person behind the image. It can provide a link to the families past and provide a visual legacy for the future.
To place both elements together (the picture and the background) she uses a lot of glue to paste them together. She usually starts gluing them by the corners. Her trick to getting papers to lie flat is to place a book under the stretched canvas substrate, which ranges from 4 ̋ x 4 ̋ to 4’ x 5’. She uses a variety of sizes that will fit within the wood frame so that the canvas rests on a solid surface. By the time she’s finished gluing the papers in place, she can go back and spray each portrait with a UVB spray and then apply a coat of Mod Podge as a sealant.
Michelle uses a lot of different media in her work such as photographs, fabric swatches, newspaper clippings and other things.
The images she uses to create her final work are precious to her. She combines her passion for family pieces and often makes pieces on commission.
In an article for Real Simple (November 2007) she talks about how she can spend hours seeking good photographs because old snapshots are plagued by sunspots, fingers on the lenses, double exposures or the takers own shadow. She picks ones of people you think you would like to know.
Michelle believes her portraits bring life to photographic history, each piece with its own narrative; trying to tell the story of the person behind the image. It can provide a link to the families past and provide a visual legacy for the future.
To place both elements together (the picture and the background) she uses a lot of glue to paste them together. She usually starts gluing them by the corners. Her trick to getting papers to lie flat is to place a book under the stretched canvas substrate, which ranges from 4 ̋ x 4 ̋ to 4’ x 5’. She uses a variety of sizes that will fit within the wood frame so that the canvas rests on a solid surface. By the time she’s finished gluing the papers in place, she can go back and spray each portrait with a UVB spray and then apply a coat of Mod Podge as a sealant.
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