About Michelle/Contact
I am a painter and mixed media collage artist currently living in Roanoke, Virginia. In 1997 I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) with a major in illustration and minor in art history.
My Inspiration - “Of Land and Sky ~ Whimsical and Free”, which began in 2014, is the title of my current body of work. I imagined creating art that was softly surreal with a storybook sensibility. I wanted it to feel hopeful and aspirational, yet also include themes reflecting on disappointment, loneliness, and the loss of innocence. I continue to try to elevate the sense of wonder, romance, and optimism to which we aspire, while accepting the sadness and incompleteness we sometimes succumb to. I feel that the buoyant and promising themes are felt more intensely because of these somber elements coexisting in the work.
My Process - I most often work on canvas, but occasionally on wood or gesso board. My initial sketches tend to be loose and simple, but as I am a thorough planner, they eventually become much more extensive. Once sketched onto the canvas, I gather collage materials – vintage prints, hand-crafted papers, sewing patterns, maps, old letters and postcards, vintage book pages, and more. I am deliberate with what I choose to collage and where it is placed on the canvas. These meaningful details give a sense of nostalgia and help tell the story of the piece. I collage and seal this ephemera onto the canvas, creating almost a silhouette of the subjects who will appear in the work. I begin painting. At this point, nothing escapes my brush. I paint into every collage element, creating animals or other subjects full of emotion over the papers, bringing the piece to life. I add or alter color. I create depth. I eliminate some details and keep others, blending everything seamlessly into the whole. Finally, I finish the piece with a protective gloss varnish. Upon completion, each piece is digitally captured. That allows me to create giclée quality reproductions printed on archival canvas and fine art papers.
Since 2014 I’ve participated in more than 100 juried art shows and festivals. Here’s a list awards/accolades over that time.
Best of Show - Festival in the Park - Charlotte, NC - 09/2024
Best of Show - Glencoe Festival of Art - Glencoe, IL - 07/2024
Best of Show - Taubman Museum Sidewalk Art Show - Roanoke, VA - 06/2024
Award of Merit - Artsplosure - Raleigh, NC - 05/2024
Award of Merit - Gasparilla Festival of the Arts - Tampa, FL - 03/2024
Award of Commendation - Images: A Festival of the Arts - New Smyrna Beach, FL - 01/2024
Award of Distinction - Ocala Arts Festival - Ocala, FL, 10/2023
Featured Artist - Bayou City Art Festival - Houston, TX, 10/2023
Best in Show - Festival in the Park - Charlotte, NC, 09/2023
Best in Show - 2D Mixed Media - Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival - Cary, NC - 08/2023
Award of Merit - Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival - Syracuse, NY - 07/2023
Award of Merit -2D Mixed Media - Sidewalk Art Show - Roanoke, VA - 06/2023
Best of Show - Art in the Park - Blowing Rock, NC - 05/2023
Best of Category: 2D Mixed Media - La Quinta Art Celebration - La Quinta, CA - 03/2023
Award of Commendation - Images: A Festival of the Arts - New Smyrna Beach, FL - 01/2023
Featured Artist - Cottonwood Art Festival - Richardson, TX, 10/2022
Best in Show - Utah Arts Festival - Salt Lake City, UT - 06/2022
Judges’ Choice - Chain of Parks Art Festival - Tallahassee, FL - 04/2022
Best in 2-D Mixed Media - Dogwood Festival - Atlanta, GA - 04/2022
Award of Distinction - Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival - Pensacola, FL - 11/2021
Award of Merit - Ocala Fine Arts Festival - Ocala, FL - 10/2021
Best of Show - Mixed Media 2D - Art Fair on the Square - Madison, WI - 09/2021
Judges’ Choice 2-D - Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival - Ridgeland, MS - 05/2021
Award of Distinction - Ocala Fine Arts Festival - Ocala, FL - 10/2019
Featured Artist - Ocala Fine Arts Festival - Ocala, FL - 10/2019
Best of Show - Mixed Media 2D - Art Fair on the Square - Madison, WI - 07/2019
Featured Artist - Art Fair on the Square - Madison, WI - 07/2019
Award of Merit - Leeper Park Art Festival - South Bend, IN - 06/2019
Award of Merit - Artsplosure - Raleigh, NC - 05/2019
Best in 2-D Mixed Media - Dogwood Festival - Atlanta, GA - 04/2019
Judges’ Choice 2-D - Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival - Ridgeland, MS - 04/2019
Featured Artist - Scottsdale Arts Festival - Scottsdale, AZ - 03/2019
Award of Commendation – Images Art Festival – New Smyrna Beach, FL - 01/2019
Best in Show - Ocala Arts Festival - Ocala, FL - 10/2018
Judges Choice Award - Festival in the Park - Charlotte, NC - 09/2018
Invitational Artist Award - Art Fair on the Square - Madison, WI - 07/2018
Judges Choice Award- Artsplosure - Raleigh, NC - 05/2018
Award of Merit - Magic City Art Connection - Birmingham, AL - 04/2018
Award of Excellence - Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival - Winter Park, FL - 03/2018
2-D Honorable Mention - State Street Art Fair - Ann Arbor, MI - 07/2017
Invitational Artist Award - Art Fair on the Square - Madison, WI - 07/2017
Best Mixed Media Artist - Virginia Highlands Summerfest - Atlanta, GA - 06/2017
Award of Merit - Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival - Pensacola, FL - 11/2016
Award of Merit - Ocala Fine Arts Festival - Ocala, FL - 10/2016
Best of Show - Festival in the Park - Charlotte, NC - 09/2016
2nd Place Overall - Arts in the Heart Festival - Augusta, GA - 09/2016
Best in Mixed Media - Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival, Cary, NC - 08/2016
2-D Honorable Mention - State Street Art Fair - Ann Arbor, MI - 07/2016
Director's Choice Mixed Media - Mandarin Art Festival - Jacksonville, FL - 03/2016
Award of Commendation – Images Art Festival – New Smyrna Beach, FL – 01/2016
Best of Show – St Augustine Art Festival – St. Augustine, FL – 11/2015
2nd Place Overall – Piedmont Park Art Festival – Atlanta, GA – 08/2015
Award of Distinction – Boca Raton Fine Arts Festival – Boca Raton, FL – 01/2015
Award of Merit - Downtown Festival and Art Show – Gainesville, FL – 11/2014
Poster Artist – Chastain Park Fall Festival – Atlanta, GA – 11/2014
Poster Artist – Atlanta Arts Festival – Atlanta, GA – 09/2014
3rd Place Overall – Piedmont Park Art Festival – Atlanta, GA – 08/2014
Director’s Choice Award – Chastain Park Spring Art Festival – Atlanta, GA – 05/2014
1st Place 2-D Mixed Media - Shrimp Festival – Fernandina Beach, FL – 05/2014
Michelle continues to create new work and travel to new shows. Her work is available for sale as an original piece, a giclée reproduction on canvas, or a giclée reproduction on paper. If you are interested in purchasing an original piece, please email to michelle@mcdowellsmith.com or use the form below. If you are interested in purchasing a reproduction on either paper or canvas you can order directly from the website. Whether on paper or canvas the prints are exceptional and all are limited edition – see each one for specific details - to browse them click here.
Thanks for visiting. Come back often.
