Name: Michelle Stroescu
Education: Graduated from ETSU in Tennessee w/ BFA in Graphic Design and MAT ( Master of Arts in Teaching w/ art emphasis)
Current City: Dallas, hometown now for 12 years
Tell me about your work in one sentence: Sensual, earthy, imagery, intuitive at times , representational at times, with patterns found in nature a recurring ,dominant theme. From my years in the fashion development biz I am addicted to researching color and print direction trends , which filters into my paintings as well.
Describe your normal day:
No two days are alike.
What would your *ideal* day be like?
More systematic, like when I used to work the 8-5 job and go into an office. Still working on achieving that in my "artist/painter" life. Ideally, I would wake at 5,do yoga, drink coffee, read, make notes to do,peruse my fave art mags , and be inspired to finish paintings in progress and start new ones in a well lit huge open studio for 5 hours straight .
What are your passions?
Human rights , equality,educating and mentoring ...be it my own daughter, her friends and/ or the students I teach at El Centro CC , I currently teach Color Theory for the Fashion students and this class along with the students projects are a huge inspiration to me.
What are your goals?
To be more confident in the marks I make ...to not be too comparing with other's work, to be true to 'michelle's" style.
By this summer would like to complete a new body of work based on the "lost art of communication"....maybe 10-12 paintings and pitch to galleries. By end of this year would like to have receipt in hand that reflects sales every month of this year .hahaha! It is possible.
Long term:
Would like to paint and produce a show with other female artists based on Judy Chicago's exhibit back in late 80's..."The Dinner Party".
Would like to publish a book with my art and poetry combined.
Who are your creative influences?
Klimt, Warhol, O'Keefe, Susan Sales, Lisa Lindholm,Joan Mitchell, Josef Albers, Kandinsky,Van Gogh, Chuck Close,Angela Adams, Marimeko, Frank Lloyd Wright,Agnes Martin,Pollock,Gaugin and Contemporary Japanese illustrators and painters.
Are there any other relevant experiences that shaped who you are today and what you do?
Two things:
1/ Someone once told me my world would become Techncolor once I gave birth to a child.
So true.
I only had 1 painting class in college. I was nervous about the brush! So, I stayed close to my comfort zone, pencil and pen, crayons ...no paint.
Until my daughter was born that is.
After her birth I became enamored with the process of mixing colors and seeing all the colors I could mix from just a few basic tubes. I was inspired by the pregnancy and creating a beautiful work of art inside of me. My paintings are like babies , new birth.
I am basically a self taught painter who has loved the creative process all my life.
But my life as an artist took a bright turn after Raina's birth.
I tossed the grey pencil world aside for the kaleidescope of color I found in the paint and brush.
2/ Right after I was diagnosed with diabetes I was in Taiwan on business. While there I was working 14 hr days and very sick. On a day off we went into the city and visited local markets trying to relax and enjoy the culture. Every turn I made I would see these Chinese characters/letters that attracted me to them like magnets.
At first it was just funny to hear my friend tell me that they meant " Calm down your mind". Our last week of work was anything but calming.
After seeing this symbol over and over again it became clear to me a message was being sent to me and I began to think seriously about how was I going to to "Calm down my mind".
The last stop we made, I again saw these characters painted on rocks made by this artist who only had one arm. His work was amazing and intricate.He had not allowed his disability to control him. His art spoke volumes. A different phrase painted on a rose tinted stone caught my eye this time.
The meaning "Be satisfied with what you have."
I was struck by the reality of the message. I came home and along with my husband's support decided to leave the big $ job to focus on my health, and try to make a living making my art. teaching, and living a creative inspired life.
That will be 3 years ago this April.
Is there anyone (celebrity, dead, alive, in your life) that you really look up to as an inspiration?
My mother who passed away in 2006...total inspirational in reassuring me to be myself and to keep on keeping on...never stop reaching for your star. yeah, it's pretty sappy, but true. She even had an old Blue Ford station wagon back in the day with stickers on it that read, "mAKE lOVE NOT WAR, pEACE,and a daisy" ...so I grew up in the flower power .women's liberation. equal rights era of late 60's early 70's.
Oops telling my age now.
What motivates you on a daily basis?
Time. "Time keeps on ticking ticking ticking into the future."
Do you have a "guilty pleasure" that you can't miss out on to get you going?
1/Expensive trend book: Textile View ...I still can't resist the trend reports even though I am not actually working as a designer of fashion or product developer full time, I still am curious about what is influencing colors, pattern, styles and hey we are all influenced one way or the other by our surroundings , be it fashion , music, nature etc.
2/AND I am a new music hunter and gatherer...all genres. This is a guilty pleasure for sure that costs me lots some months before I know it. So new music gets me going ....moves me to the mood I wanna paint in.
3/ McMannis Petit Syrah vino
*What's your working style? Do you work for 12 hours straight nonstop, or do you take lots of breaks?
Too many breaks due to the FB phenomena...and then I paint nonstop crazy!
>*What are your websites/social networking links?
www.modernmuse.net
Here's a link to a wonderful event I'm involved in this March: http://www.infinitepossibilityevents.com
I loved this post! It was so cool learning about another amazingly talented artist!
ReplyDelete