Michele Mikesell
The Things That are Written on Water
Alan Avery Art Company is pleased to present Michele Mikesell: The Things That are Written on Water, an exhibition of new paintings on view through May 4, 2024. Mikesell's work is rife with contradiction and humor as well as melancholy and isolation. A constant theme of her abstract figurative work is comparing and contrasting ourselves with each other and with nature. Rarely do two figures enter a canvas as it is her intent that the viewer forms their own relationship with the subject whether that be human or animal. "I think when a viewer looks at an image with two or more subjects, they become onlookers to a dialogue between two individuals, whereas when there is a singular subject the only option is for them to create a relationship".
Tower Cat, 2024, Oil on panel, 24 x 24 in.
Influenced by a diverse and extremely eclectic group of different movements including Abstract and German expressionism, Art informal, Children's Art, as well as the 17th century Dutch masters and the Bay Area Artists, she works with with little or no pre-conceived finished piece. Her process is a constant acting and reacting from and within the marks subliminally laid in the paint.
Mikesell's figures are painted with light and sensitivity of the old masters juxtaposed into a background of modern expressionism, bordering color field abstraction. The contrasting styles in her work creates a fluid and almost magical blend that is harmonious and lays the groundwork for the undercurrent whimsey almost always present in her work.
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Nose Boop, 2024, Oil on panel, 5 x 5 in.
Michele says the inspiration for this body of work came from a transformative trip to Istanbul, stating "I've seen many places but none of them have it me quite like Istanbul. The pattern and design of the city went straight to my core".
Unconstrained by a specific theme of story, these paintings cumulatively reference Istanbul in literal ways such as the Bosphorus, the feral cats and dogs that are treated like important citizens, and a celebration of the visually rich colors that saturate the patterns and spaces. Subjects are portrayed sometimes humorously in the midst of transitional life moments such as, sleepless nights, skinny dipping, and self-discovery.
Blue Dog, 2024, Oil on panel, 36 x 36 in.
Year of the Dragon, 2024, Oil on panel, 48 x 72 in.
Mikesell's work can be found nationally and internationally in many private and corporate collections, and has been exhibited in numerous prestigious Art Fairs including various Art Miami satellite fairs, various Art Basels, and the London Art Fair to name a few, as well as solo exhibitions from Atlanta to Los Angeles to Bangkok. Most recently Mikesell was featured in a solo exhibition at The Ardmore Museum of Art in Oklahoma.
Mittens, 2024, Oil on panel, 12 x 12 in.
