Michelle Blade is a visual artist who has shown nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at the Center for Contemporary Arts; Santa Fe, The Bonnefantenmuseum; Netherlands, Jack Hanley Gallery, Southern Exposure; San Francisco, Western Exhibitions; Chicago, Roberts & Tilton; LA and The Torrance Art Museum, among others.

Blade’s current body of work focuses on introspective narratives set in charged, nature-based landscapes. Collecting intimate moments from her life as inspiration, these works begin as numerous sketches in a notebook before being transferred onto Satin or Poplin.

Once the painting process has begun Blade applies atmospheric layers of paint which bleed, bloom and abstract the original image. The abstraction which continually evolves during the painting process, moves the energy of the image beyond language and toward metaphor. The figures become intertwined with the landscape through her mark making, serving as a physical placeholder for the invisible. This transformation brings elements of magical realism into the image, creating an opportunity to reinterpret the essence of the everyday.