Michelle Kurlan has been working from her studio based in Montclair, New Jersey after working in New York City for 20 years.  Her work has been shown in a variety of shows throughout the United States and Italy.  Michelle’s paintings are in private collections around the world.  After receiving her undergraduate degree in painting from the University of Maryland, Michelle received her Master of Arts in painting from New York University.  The studio-based program was located in Venice, where she studied for two summers.  Since her graduation, she has received numerous studio residencies through Chashama.  Michelle also spent a Summer in Barcelona painting with the School of Visual Arts after which she was honored to participate in the retrospective art show.  

Michelle is an art educator and has worked closely with many different well-known organizations, including the National Art Education Association and DIA Center for the Arts.  She was a cooperating educator in a partnership between Chelsea Prep and the Whitney Museum of Art, where she planned, developed and implemented workshops for educators.  After teaching art to children for 17 years, Michelle now mentors student art teachers at Montclair State University.  In addition, Michelle has contributed artwork to numerous benefits, including Visual AIDS and the Alzheimer’s Association.  Michelle is an artist who rotates her mediums between watercolor, acrylic, mixed mediums and clay.  Michelle is a lifelong learner who is always developing, refining and expanding her craft.  Most recently she started working with clay again, creating sculptural organic pieces as her new form of inspiration.

 Artist Statement

My artwork helps me find solace and peace in an often chaotic world.  Transformation, transparencies and layers resonate within me.  Finding beauty in objects that are not normally seen for their splendor, the work emerges within the dichotomy of play and intentional manipulation.  I look to patterns in nature, such as the intricacies of microscopic life forms, and attempt to represent them in a new way.  They are small and precious things, which are not always regarded for their beauty.  I find inspiration in the movement, form and colors of underwater creatures, especially man-of-war and sea jellies, as reflected in my paintings and sculptures.  On the macro level, I incorporate maps and aerial views of scenery to represent the pathways that we create. These works encourage the viewer to fall into an intimate and internal meditative state, which I enter while painting.  Each series is developed and created through the use of paper, photos, collage, paint and clay.