We recently connected with Michelle Andres and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

Acts of kindness can have a bigger impact than the giver realizes. I’ve been blessed to have many kind people in my life. There’s one instance, in particular, that stands out professionally. I know a woman who used to run a successful and beautifully curated gallery. She is an avid collector with a sharp artistic eye and a generous heart. At one of my first shows, she bought a large resin diptych for a design project she was working on. I was so appreciative and flattered.

This same woman was among the first onboard to give the nod to my new landscape work. She genuinely likes the work. Over the years, she’s bought countless paintings, given them as gifts and championed my professional decisions and endeavors. She is truly a patron and even a dear friend. She help boost my career when it mattered the most. This kindness and affirmation is one of the most priceless and precious blessings I’ve ever been given.

Michelle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born a natural creative. While I was a good writer and my teachers encouraged and honed the skill, my parents were luke-warm with the idea and actively discouraged the visual arts. They really just didn’t understand the value of an arts education. I dutifully finished my Master’s degree and worked the corporate America grind, focusing on business, training leaders, workplace behaviour and organization design. But, the curiosity for the arts wouldn’t leave me alone, and I found myself breaking glass and tile after work and creating fine art mosaics. It was cathartic and I loved it. The mosaic passion cascaded into collage and eventually painting.

When I finally decided to be a full-time artist I volunteered everywhere I could to learn the business. I learned how art calls worked, how galleries worked and how to curate art spaces. I met people, I formed friendships. My art evolved, as all art does., Mine moved from abstract to more representational art.

In the beginning I had a large studio and a place to pour resin. I included words in the work and focused on human behaviour. This happened naturally, because I’d come from a world where I focused on behaviour every day. Eventually, I began to find the practice draining since our collective behaviour did not stay the same, it seemed to be getting worse!

Then, we moved to a new home with a much smaller studio space. I took a break and explored new mediums, including oil painting. I worked on representational subject matter and the beauty that surrounds us. My soul just danced! I learned our lives are a compilation of our everyday thoughts. If we focus on what’s wrong, we get more of that. If we focus on shining our lights, the world becomes brighter.

Our lives are really made of building blocks. We take what we know and work it into other things. Sometimes, when it doesn’t feel right, we abandoned it for better, newer skins. It’s how we grow.

Nowadays I’m a painter of landscapes, barns, dwellings, rivers and parkways. I work in oil paint – layer upon layer in a flattened fashion. I feel I’ve found a good place to settle for a while and am elated when people tell me my art makes them feel joyful or happy.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Sometimes people we trust influence our choices and we may not choose what’s best for us. So, the first step of resilience comes from staying true and walking your own path. That can take some courage. I’m so fortunate that my husband has been a huge advocate of my career and championed me along the way. Without that support, I may have abandoned my dream. Artists are supposed to be original…the only way to do that is to stay true to your path.

2022 was a whopping obstacle year! Actually, the last 3 years have been interesting. We moved and I had to rethink the way I worked and what my work was like. Fortunately, I took some time and thought about what I wanted to be doing and how I wanted to feel about it. I believe making thoughtful change is key. It’s much better, if possible, to be proactive than reactive. I try to look on the horizon and see what’s coming knowing unforeseen changes will inevitably show up as well. Due to the move, I had to adapt to a temporary, small studio, so my work became smaller. We had a huge house remodel, so my attention was focused on the largest canvas I’d ever approached (a house) and, at the same time, my upcoming show with a gallery. It took managing my time and energy and it was hugely difficult to produce 35 pieces of art while nail guns were deploying around me! Also, my parents contacted me amid this chaos and wanted to move closer, so I moved them, and their lives, from Louisiana to California. It was extraordinarily stressful to juggle all these demands. I held on tightly, waiting for it to blow over!

What I learned is situations are transient, but the well-planned path and work are enriched by the struggles. When the storm clears, you still extract the benefits of how you navigated the storm and you emerge stronger and more self-assured. Everything we experience and learn during difficulties builds who we are today.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

If I’m completely honest, spending solitary time in the studio is the most rewarding aspect of my job. When I paint I lose track of time and space and it’s as if I’m not really in the room. It’s the most delicious feeling in the world. I would swear God shows up in my studio. n my studio, Yet, there’s a lot more to being an artist than just creating. We have to market, we have to do the bookkeeping, we have to order supplies and capture ideas and find opportunities. I think a lot of artists don’t think about those obligations which are critical to our success.

The second most rewarding aspect is sharing my work with others. Social media is one way I share. I also share in a monthly newsletter. Every month my studio is open and art-lovers come though the building. It’s thrilling to see them look at the work, hear what they glean from it, what it reminds them of, things they like about it and how it makes them feel. It’s rewarding when they select a piece for their home or office. It’s wonderful to know they connect with it. I love this Robert Motherwell quote. It sums up the feeling. “What could be more interesting, or in the end, more ecstatic, than in those rare moments when you see another person look at something you’ve made, and realize they got it exactly, that your heart jumped to their heart with nothing in between.”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.michelleandres.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/michelleandresart
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/michelleandresstudio
• Youtube: @michelleandresart
• Other: You can follow my work on social media or by signing up for my newsletter at my website.

Image Credits
All images have been taken by me