Michelle Stevens is a 2D illustrator and artist, from Boston, Massachusetts in the United States of America, primarily influenced by connectivity, documentation, and psychology. Her work stays actively exploratory in technique and subject matter and takes inspiration from people in her life. Aside from prioritizing connection and the people she interacts with in her everyday, she is interested in nature, sustainability, and invisible things - such as how our subconscious influences us, our complex human perceptions of both the self and collective experience, and the layers and lengths of the reaches of our senses. Her everyday subjects are often romanticized and she injects mystery into the ordinary by showing the abstract and invisible, figuratively.
Michelle Stevens holds a BFA from MassArt with Honors and a minor in Sustainability. Her work has been exhibited at Fitchburg Art Museum, Clark University, and Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, among others. She has worked on projects for Boston Calling Music Festival, The Bowery Presents, House of Blues, and has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, NYC. Her illustration clients include the Canadian National Railway, Trillium Brewing Company, Biotech company Tango Therapeutics, Boston Art Review Magazine, Far Out Ice Cream, and musician San Holo, with his record label Bitbird.
Between developing personal work in a climate new to her and far from her lifelong home, Michelle will be running workshops and engaging with the community. Arriving in time for Australia Day, Michelle will be offering 15-Minute Portraits at the Australia Day markets, as she often does locally to Boston.
In KickArts, Michelle will lead children through some local plein-air sketching to take back to the Cannery and develop these observations into playful concepts. There will be experimental play with materials, typically seen as cheap and simple, that Michelle uses in her fine artwork, such as with Crayola crayons, scratchboards, and Etch-a-Sketches.
There will also be a lighthearted and all-levels-welcome Portrait trade event. Come be paired with someone as Michelle comes around to give portrait pointers as you draw. Everyone will leave with a portrait of themselves drawn by someone else in the community.
The Cannery Arts Centre are excited to have Michelle visiting us and look forward to her sharing her skills and knowledge in illustration with our community.
Photo: Michelle Stevens at her solo show “I’ll See You in Everything’ May-June 2023. Photo taken by gallerist Kaylee Hennessey