About Michelle
ROOTS
It seems overstated but it's not: The places you've lived and travelled have a profound influence on who you are and who you become. I was born in California and grew up on Kauai. Since then, I've lived in a multitude of interesting and beautiful places--Santa Fe, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Lake Tahoe, La Grande, Oregon, and Fort Collins, Colorado. I've been lucky to have travelled a bit, and plan to do more of that.
I used to compete in long-distance horse racing (AERC Endurance) and enjoyed experiencing remote areas of the west. I'm always amazed at how beautiful and diverse the United States is.....we are so lucky to live here. I received an art scholarship at Santa Barbara City College, where I also completed a graphic design certification course. I then earned my Bachelor's in Fine Art at Eastern Oregon University and went on to pursue a career in design and marketing.
I live in the Sierra Nevada foothills with my husband, Paul. My work has a graphic, illustrative style with rich, vibrant colors. The feel of my paintings pulls from nature with a contemporary style. I'm also an avid writer, and sometimes insert text into my paintings. I'm fascinated with psychology--what motivates behavior, and how one can become more aware and self-actualized as we progress through our lives.
From my earliest memories, I have always been artistic and felt that urge to create. As a child I would occasionally attend college with my mother at SDSU when she couldn't find a sitter. I would sit on the floor near her feet and draw with chalk on the concrete floor while she did her figure drawing classes. Invariably, there would be a nude female model in the middle of the room. This became normal to me. Later in college, figure drawing was my favorite class, and the figure informs many of my pieces, even landscapes, where often the figure is implied by the contours of the land.
Art represents all the best that life has to offer. It elevates one out of the mundane or ordinary by putting a spotlight on things which make the viewer focus on the image and make psychological connections. Art is a wonderful way to express beauty and harmony. I love beautiful things, and it's very satisfying to hang a new painting on the wall. Truly, art is life.
--Michelle Magnus Brown, June 2022