Michelle Louise

“I am a self taught artist who left the city of Sheffield in 2017 for the restful West Norfolk coast with the intention of pursuing my dream of becoming a painter as an aid to self adjust to declining health that has later been diagnosed as Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.

My background is of structural design and technical drawing which led to a career shift after leaving Loughborough University prematurely to continue with my interest of music and electrical engineering. As a student I enjoyed life modelling, and through this was keen to learn figure drawing which I now describe as a reflection of my openminded, expressive approach to art and life in general.

I am an active member of West Norfolk Artists Association (WNAA) and the Norfolk Contemporary Artist Society (nCAS). Currently, I’m in the final year of a Master’s Degree in Fine Art. This has woken my previous desires to focus on figurative sketching and although generally my work is predominantly of landscapes, plans to introduce figurative images within the landscape is what drives me forward with new ideas.

Recently I collaborated with another local artist to make natural pigments from foraged materials. We also made our own charcoal which had many surprises along the way! Charcoal and matt graphite are my chosen medium for figurative sketching. My sketches are heavily layered with strong light values. My approach to creating contemporary figurative images, is different to other work I have seen, and I strongly wish to share my techniques with other artists.”