Michelle Mardis

I have been artistic my entire life, and I also love to build things. I suppose that is the main reason I prefer to start my paintings out by hand-building each wooden cradle in my woodshop. I love to start with virtually a pile of lumber and some paint and end up with a finished, original painting ready to hang. Each piece is built with specific dimensions in mind for each composition. I use numerous wood cutting and sanding tools to build my cradles; however, I sand each one by hand between each coat of primer and often sand between painting layers to give an ultra-smooth finish to my work. The compositions of my figurative and still life imagery are almost always "off the page," I think this gives interest and a certain reality. As for the subject matter, this harkens back to my own childhood growing up in the 1960s-1970s. I prefer to capture the mid-century modern era in my own flair, leaning heavily on a coastal living vibe.