Necklaces!

"The Bee Charmer"

1 and 3/4" x 1 and 3/4"

Oil and varnish on wood

"Positive affirmation necklaces"

1.5" x 1.5"

mixed media on wood, varnish

"I Trust in the Process of my Life"

I am very exited about my new necklaces, I plan to continue making them because they just turned out so sweet! I have one that I wear all the time and I get loads of compliments ;) These necklaces are available in my shop (link on the side bar)

Custom Portraits

"Theadora"

8".10"

"Theadora Reference"

"Jacob"

8".10"

"Elliot"

8".10"

"Miss Louise"

8".10"

I have not been promoting them as of late, but I also do Custom Portraits, here are some 5".7" oil portraits I did in 2007. These paintings were all done on an 8".10" wood panel. As you can see from the reference picture my portraits are somewhat Disney-ized versions of the subject for a enchanting final product. I am happy to do your portrait in any theme that speaks to you, this customer wanted a Victorian theme to all of the portraits so I used an Oval Victorian pattern to encapsulate each portrait and used rich coppery tones to give the pieces a antiquated feel. If you notice both the men appear to be wearing "eyeliner" that is because they where, I love the juxtaposition between rock and Victorian. If you are interested in commissioning a custom portrait please contact me for rates or visit my shop: www.michelli.etsy.com

First step of "Blackbird Cry"

This is the first step of yet another painting. This little piece measures 5".7" I wanted to also include a few of my reference pics to show a bit of my process:

1. So first I have the model come in, in this case my lovely friend Jessica ( http://onesugarhillblog.blogspot.com/ ) and if time allows I draw them from life.

2. I spray the piece with Workable Fixative so that my drawing will not smudge and smear when I apply paint

3. I take a few reference shots to refer to while I am painting, I rarely work without reference whether it be live or from a photograph. The only time I work with out reference is if I want a more dream like feel or if it is something I have drawn or painted 100s of times like the rabbits in "Eve" posted above.

4. I apply a thin layer of water-based oil paint to sketch in the dark areas of painting

5. Allow to dry completely and continue to build up the piece layer by layer, starting first with darkest shades and slowly working up to finishing highlights.

This is just a basic run through of how I essentially work :) I will continue to post as I go along to show the stages of this painting

On the Easel

"eve"

48". 24"

eve detail

"Eve" is not finished yet but I wanted to share what I have been working on.

I have been focusing a lot lately on the balance between realism and gesture. One one hand I seek a polished quality in my work, allowing the image to speak clearly. Yet on the other, I believe sincerity is sacrificed in the refining process. I feel it is difference between listening to a prepared academic dissertation and a brokenhearted bar stool conversation. I would like to find a place for both grit and grace to live in harmony in my work.

Sketches

train sketches