We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michele Van Maurik. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michele below.
Hi Michele , thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
Making a living as a full time artist is not always an easy path to follow, but a very rewarding one if you can endure the many ups and downs of a feast or famine profession. I am so grateful that I have reached a point in my career that I am able to paint what I love and sustain a comfortable living. I started off as a commercial artist who specialized painting hand lettered signs; a creative journey which was passed down to me by my father. Prior to the innovation of computer cut vinyl lettering, I was able to make a pretty lucrative living. It was then I began painting large outdoor advertising murals on the sides of buildings, the largest one being 80 feet tall! Along my artistic journey I have had to wear many hats in order to support myself, from sign painter and mural artist to painting houses and children’s faces and teaching art classes. The challenge of being a fine artist is that you can produce a painting and it can either sell right away, or you might have it in your studio for years! I believe that in this age of social media, there has never been a better time to be an artist and there are many opportunities to self promote across so many available platforms.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a predominantly self taught artist who is best known for my larger than life, hyper realistic floral paintings. Frequently referred to as the “Painter of Petals”, I work mostly in oils, capturing many intimate and hidden details of flowers. During the pandemic, I was surprised at how many of my collectors reached out to me and let me know how my artwork made them feel positive and hopeful about life and the future. As an artist, having this effect on someone is such a rewarding part of why I paint. Flowers are natures eye candy and are here for but a brief moment. The only time I have a green thumb is when I get some paint on it! I am honestly the world’s worst gardener. Capturing flowers onto canvas at the height of their blooming so they last forever is what motivates me to paint them in particular. I never dreamed one day I would be showing my work as part of the Canadian Delegation in Paris. For 4 consecutive years I had been invited to take part in one of the oldest and most prestigious shows held at the Louvre; The Société nationale des Beaux Arts exhibition which has been held annually since 1862. My paintings have won numerous rewards including a Silver and Vermeil (gold) medal for excellence in painting, presented by the Art, Sciences and Lettres academy of Paris. In addition to florals, I enjoy painting still life, portraits and en plein air. My work can be found in collections from Key West, Greece, Amsterdam, Vancouver and Ontario to name a few.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
New Year’s day in 2022 literally started off with a bang! While on an artist residency in Key West, I had an unexpected accident; I fell off my bike and crushed all the bones in my elbow. My time there was cut short and I needed to return home to Ontario for a complex surgery. This was at the height of Covid and was very stressful trying to get a flight home, with all the restrictions etc, let alone the excruciating pain I was in. The pain killers did nothing but make me extremely nauseous. The recovery from my surgery and radial head replacement was agonizing. I kept telling myself that it could have been worse and that thank goodness it was not my painting (dominant) arm. My metal hardware installed inside my elbow looks like something from the movie, “The Terminator” with plates, screws and a big mushroom looking metal implant. The rehabilitation from an injury like this was a very slow and painful process. To make matters worse, my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and didn’t have much time left. I had become overwhelmed with depression and felt very angry that this had happened to me, my whole world had been turned upside down in the blink of an eye. I had to make a choice; I could either let this break my spirit and get the better of me, or I could step up and be the strong woman my mother would need me to be in order to look after her and cherish what time we had left together. I actually created a painting during this time entitled “Resilience” . It was painted with my non dominate arm and is of a orange tiger lily. These “ditch lilies” as they are sometimes referred to grow and thrive in the worst conditions….in this case it was like life imitating art.
One of the best things that society can do to support artists is to buy original artwork! I think that when most people see an original painting in someone’s home, it is usually very impressive and the hallmark of sophistication. Buying mass produced prints from big box stores does little to support the artistic community. That being said, not everyone can afford original artwork; by purchasing prints directly from an artist you are contributing to their income without any gallery commissions etc. Since social media is such a large part of promotion for an artist, when you give a like, and a comment on their post and share their work of a new painting, you are indeed affecting the algorithm and at the very least assisting in their ability to stay at the top of the news feed and get many more views and possibly contributing to their ability to get a sale, hopefully from a new collector!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.michelevanmaurik.com
- Instagram: @daisypainter
- Facebook: Michele Van Maurik -Fine art
- Linkedin: Michele Van Maurik
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@michelevanmaurik6018?si=y0Z9hIPDiP_C2Nih
