Featured Artist Michelle Davis Petelinz

Artist Michelle Davis Petelinz of Kindred Spirit Studios creates mixed media sculpture integrating elements of different cultures. See more by visiting her website.

 

 

I became an artist at seven years old, although I didn’t realize it at the time. One afternoon my father brought me a brand new box of 64 Crayola crayons—at the time, the biggest one, with the cool sharpener on the back. I opened it, saw the dazzling array of colors so neatly arranged, inhaled that unmistakable aroma, chose a magenta and cornflower blue, made some marks on paper, and was instantly entranced.

 

 

Of course, there have been many twists and turns along the way, but that day stays in my memory.

 

 

Not only did I become an artist, but I also became an art teacher. I had loved my art classes throughout my educational career and aspired to be the one to encourage people to be creative.

 

 

I do that now, teaching children from ages 18 months to 30 months (with their caregivers—I’m good, but not that good!), and classes of older children, at my local art center. I also teach art to adults with disabilities, and I cherish the “I did that” moments which my students of all abilities experience.

 

 

I’m honored to share my belief that art is truly a vehicle for expression, joy, and accomplishment.

 

 

As a mixed media artist, I am not bound by any single discipline. I’m free to create and to combine media and techniques, inspired by ornament and guided by ancestral connections.

 

 

My West African and Northeast Native American heritage informs my aesthetic. My work often reflects patterns, colors, textures, motifs, and symbols found in these cultures.

 

 

The wall décor pieces I create may feature prints from my original, hand cut stamps, painted papers, my signature textured low-fire clay elements, gelatin prints, metallic threads, and handcrafted paper beads. Wood, stones, feathers, natural fibers, shells, bone and antique brass beads imbue my work with strong tribal connections.

 

 

My goal is to interpret these visual elements to resonate with the viewer. Objects are at once unusual and familiar, evoking ancestral and contemporary design, speaking across cultures to the deep well of the universal.

 

Michelle  Davis Petelinz invited you to follow her on  Facebook and Pinterest.

 

 

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