(fantastic) michelle white illustrations

i am really nuts about this brilliant work from california (by way of florida) artist michelle white. michelle graduated from the ringling college of art & design. she has been creating her illustrations and paintings and residing in san francisco for the last ten years. she’s recently become a full time freelance artist, after working as an editorial artist for a variety of traditional and online publications. her pieces are made with pen and ink or graphite pencil on textured paper, their colors then subtly enhanced digitally. other pieces are made with color and graphite washes and are created on wood.

to me, there is a noteworthy amount of tension and contrast in this collection. i feel like i’m staring into the eyes of a real person, there is that much rare and melancholy depth of emotion here. and i could stare for quite a long time. the cracked up faces that look like chiseled stained glass, the mostly somber color palettes and the consistent, expressive nature and themes of love, dreams, childhood innocence and broken promises are so affecting.

isn’t it fantastic?

michelle will be showing a doll in the upcoming kokeshi doll show at subtext in san diego, which opens november 3rd.

she does not currently sell prints of her work, but she does make her paintings available for sale.

see michelle’s portfolio here. her blog is also an excellent place to see her terrific work and of course to contact her!

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