This month’s featured creator, Michelle Schenker, is a nature-inspired artist on a perpetual journey of discovery, captivated by the ever-unfolding narratives whispered by the natural world.
Michelle Schenker | Watercolor & Mixed Media Artist
How would you describe your work?
One person’s trash reimagined into a beautiful treasure. You will discover found materials and breathtaking nature at the heart of nearly all of my pieces. Finding ways to blend the two into new creations of beauty is where my artistic passions lie. Using collage, watercolors, printmaking and lots of glue, I unearth the unexpected magnificence that is all around us in our natural landscapes.
What influences your art?
There are aspects of the natural world in literally every piece of art I create. I have always spent a lot of time exploring nature while on hikes, walks, kayaking or just looking out my window. I love the beauty in the unpredictability and imperfections surrounding us. When I’m at the beach, I always notice the broken shells and wonder about the story of the creature that used to inhabit them. When in a garden, I marvel as some of the flowers bloom and others shrivel away to allow the bloomers to thrive.
How have you evolved, personally, as an artist?
I found my way to art during the pandemic when a friend invited me to an online watercolor art therapy class. I fell in love with watercolors and artistic expression, dedicating all my nights and weekends to my new passion and taking classes. I started sharing my work on Instagram and participating with its supportive community of artists. I also started a 100-day project where I committed to making and sharing a piece each day for 3+ months. This project really pushed me to grow and stretch as an artist, as I experimented with different mediums, finding my way to collage, acrylic paint, stencils and mixing it all together into mixed media.
How do you carve out time to be creative?
My husband and I have our own content marketing business that we run as our “day jobs,” but in the evening, I work in my studio and try to catch a few moments before the sun sets to see where my art is heading under natural light. Life gets so busy, but I strive to always prioritize time for art knowing the impact it makes on my own emotions. I have the goal to put a paintbrush on paper, cut out some images to use in collage or glue something down every single day. More often than not, once I start, it’s hard to stop.
Do you have a favorite story behind one of your pieces and why?
I have a collage that I made with an image of my grandparents; a piece of vintage lace and hand-painted papers. Putting it together was a deeply meditative experience as I recalled so many wonderful memories with my Granny and Papa. Being able to make treasures from people’s memories, commemorating special people or pets, has become such an interesting and invigorating part of my art practice. I especially love commissions to make pet portraits or to find a way to memorialize their recently passed loved one. It is such an honor to hold space and create something meaningful for the family.
What are you working on that excites you right now?
I recently decided that I want to learn to paint faces; afterall, people are part of nature as well! Not necessarily photo-real faces or even ones of people I know, but ones of my own imagination. I started taking a class that shares artistic instruction of creating faces from seven different artists from around the world. I am super excited to see each of their styles and how they work their magic. I’m also curious to see how my voice comes out in this new subject!
What is one piece of advice you’d like to share with fellow artists, especially those at the start of their careers?
If you make any sort of art or craft, YOU ARE AN ARTIST. Don’t let anyone else tell you anything different. Be confident in yourself and how you are showing up in your art. If you think it’s too weird, you are probably on the right track. Be true to yourself, and your audience will find you.
If you are interested in learning more about this month’s artist, Michelle Schenker, you can find her work online at MichelleSchenker.com as well as follow her on Instagram
