Artist Statement

Walking is my favourite way to get to know new and familiar places. Most of my paintings are of places that I’ve passed by one, or many times, on a walk.

I love to capture late afternoon, magic hour, dusk, and nighttime light. These liminal times have an other-worldly quality to them. During these moments, the eye and mind become slightly uncertain. Information gets lost in the shadows. Light and colour shift … and the earth and spirit worlds seem to almost merge. There is a strong sense of place in my work that draws you into another world – one that is just slightly adjacent to this one.

When working in the studio, I take myself back to the feeling of a time or place and do everything I can to hold onto that as I paint. This creates a rich mood that is both evocative and true – not always in the sense of literal accuracy, but in that the painting captures a truth of the experience that I hope comes through to you, when you see it.

It’s the best way I know to say, “look, this is what I saw… can you feel it, too?”

Biography

Michelle Darwin is a painter and storyteller whose art is rich in mood, colour, and expressive feeling. She specializes in capturing the personal memories we have of our homes, gardens, and meaningful places. Her favourite painting subjects include homes – inside and out – and the coastal landscape.

Michelle gathers much of her inspiration by walking both new and familiar places frequently. She strives to capture a strong and immersive sense of place, of memory, and of the poetry of everyday life, in both her writing and her paintings.

She lives in the village of Broad Cove, a short walk from the ocean, on Nova Scotia’s South Shore. She can frequently hear the sound of waves from her garden.

Michelle shares most of her artwork under the name Painted Stories. She writes a regular email letter with behind-the-scenes, new paintings, and thoughtful reflections on living seasonally and finding creative flow. She currently works in gouache and acrylic.