MICHELE YATES ART

French-born and now living in Minnesota, I am a contemporary painter whose work is steeped in color and texture.   My paintings are a response to my immediate surroundings and also to memories and emotional responses to my birthplace.  I am most often inspired by the natural world.

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I studied at Minneapolis College of Art and Design and have been studying in the Creative Visionary Program led by Art2Life's Nicholas Wilton for four years.  

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I've spent many years as a docent at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and was surrounded by inspiring master works.  This gave me a deep understanding of the history of art and also how to help viewers forge their own personal connections to works of art.  

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My process revolves around obsessively capturing moments of wonder in the every day with my camera.  I do not literally interpret these images in the studio, but these visual moments will often inevitably show up in my paintings.  I paint with acrylic paints on wooden boards or canvas, adding and subtracting many layers which are covered over and then re-emerge revealing the history of the process, through painting, scraping, sanding, and adding glazes.  I begin with intuitive gestures and marks, and as the painting progresses, I edit using principles of design and composition.  In this way, I find my way as I go.  It is a dance between spontaneity and intention.  When I am truly present, the painting leads the way.  Every painting, whether successful or not, teaches me something.  It's a deep dive into discernment, making many decisions along the way that reflect who I am.   The themes that most occupy me are the passage of time and the nostalgia that is borne of migration.

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It is my hope that my paintings will inspire wonder at our shared stardust, and remind you to notice the beauty in the every day, as well as reflect on the layers of your personal journeys.