Welcome to my creative space. I'm Michelle, and I paint to process—to work through the emotions, experiences, and moments that shape my life. What begins as raw expression on reclaimed materials transforms into something unexpected, something that becomes what it's meant to be.
My work is a mashup of hand-painted pieces, graphic design, fashion, and more. It's hard to contain it in one category because it flows across different mediums and forms. For a long time, I couldn't bring myself to sell my original paintings—they're too personal, too tied to the moments they came from. But people connected with them, and that mattered to me. So I found a way to share my art without letting go of the originals: I photograph everything, incorporate the designs into different products and formats, and let my work reach people in new ways.
My journey with art began about two years ago during one of the hardest seasons of my life. I was homeless, staying in a ditch with a culvert nearby, and a blue heron would come to feed there. One day, I started drawing. I haven't stopped since. That simple act of putting pen to paper became my anchor, my way of processing what I was living through.
I documented every piece I created—photographing them became as important as making them. I'm grateful I did, because I lost several pieces more than once. There was a time I signed paintings and left them in a park, not knowing if I'd ever see them again. The circumstances of homelessness meant nothing was permanent, nothing was guaranteed to stay.
Today, my life looks different. I work full time, I have a place to stay, and I recently purchased a vehicle. But I carry the awareness that I'm any moment away from returning to that place. That reality shapes how I move through the world and why I'm committed to finding a new path toward sustainability—for myself and through my art.
Even if that path doesn't materialize the way I hope, the work itself is healing. The dance of creating, processing, and transforming is what sustains me today. All glory, praise, and thanks to God for bringing me here.