“Crossings”
40 x 40 in.
Oil on Canvas
Available through the artist
Michele Byrne is a plein air painter whose work has been featured in many plein air competitions across the country. Byrne’s work deals with the Art of Conversation. Capturing the essence of how we as humans communicate with each other. Whether in a café, on the beach, or walking down a city street, the figures in Byrne’s paintings capture the body language we pose while communicating. In oils, Byrne paints the energy people create while conversing in a profound way that viewers can connect with. For Byrne painting is a spiritual activity that consumes her and enables her to find that common thread no matter where she travels.
“The connection of humanity and the need to interact and connect with others are the foundation of my work. I want my paintings to tell a story–whether real or imagined by the viewer. I want to create a dialogue among the viewers. What’s going on? What are these people doing? What are they talking about or what are they thinking?” says Byrne.
“We are all wrapped up in our own lives and perspectives. I want my work to reflect the multilayered lives and personalities around us. We are all different, but we all have a basic simple human need to connect.
“Intersecting lines and paths have taken on a whole new meaning in my art. Recently I’ve been obsessed with the thought of intersecting lives, intersecting lines, crossroads, points of intersection and how they all affect life in the city. In my series of crossroads and crosswalks I’m attempting to capture this vibrant energy.”
Michele Byrne received her BFA from Kutztown University, PA in 1981 and continued her studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. She has won extensive awards with her plein air paintings.
Her work may be found in the permanent collection of the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont, The Craig Thomas Visitor Center, Jackson, Wyoming, the Mennello Collection in Winter Park, Florida, and others nationally.
Byrne is a member of the Oil Painters of America, the Salmagundi Club, the Artists Fellowship, as well as a Signature member of the American Impressionist Society.
Visit Byrne’s website at www.michelebyrne.com for more information or to sign up for email newsletters.
