Night Moves
24 x 18 in.
oil on panel
$2800
Available through the artist

The connection of humanity and the need to interact and connect with others are the foundation of my work.

My paintings tell stories–whether real or imagined by the viewer. I want my Art of Conversation paintings to create stories of their own–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?

Doing plein air painting on location for the past 15 years I feel very comfortable painting just about anywhere. In contrast to the typical plein air painter who wants to be left alone in the landscape, I thoroughly enjoy meeting people at my easel and conversing with them. Never have I painted in a city and not made a memorable connection with a passerby–by inspiring a stranger to go home and be creative or having someone say something profound that totally changed my perspective. To influence and be influenced is something I try to be totally open to.

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.

Between plein air painting jaunts, I like to switch gears to concentrate on studio work using many different tools to manipulate the paint. Recent lifestyle changes have brought me a fascination with intersecting lives, intersecting lines, crossroads, points of intersection and how they all affect our lives. In my series of crossroads and crosswalks I attempt to capture this vibrant energy.

Many accidental connections have certainly made a difference in my art career and my personal life. I believe seemingly random, chance interactions we experience happen for a reason, bringing potential to greatly enhance our lives.

Museum Collections:
The Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT
The Mennello Museum of American Art in Winter Park, FL (10 painting acquisition)

Memberships and Affiliations:
Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society
Member Oil Painters of American, RMPAP, Artists’ Fellowship, Inc. and The Salmagundi Club

Recent Professional Awards and Benchmarks:
2018
LILIEDAHL ART INSTUCTION VIDEOS release of an Instructional Video of my painting process: PALETTE KNIFE PAINTING with Michele Byrne
Salmagundi Club, Landscape Exhibit, Michael Harding Award, New York, NY

2017
Reading Hospital 150th Anniversary Commission for Commemorative Painting
Salmagundi Club Thumb-Box Exhibit Memorial Award, New York, NY
Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters (RMPAP) award of membership
American Impressionist Society 18th National Juried Exhibition, Montgomery Honorable Mention Award, Lee Fine Art, Park City, UT. Juror Albert Handell
LILIEDAHL ART INSTRUCTION VIDEOS release: PAINTING IMPRESSIONISTIC FIGURES with Michele Byrne
Grand Teton National Park Foundation: Permanent collection acquisition, Moose, WY
Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters Invitational Award of Excellence, Jackson Hole, WY. Juror Scott Jones
Lighthouse Arts Festival Honorable Mention, Jupiter, FL. Juror George Van Hook
Tennessee Williams Plein Air Event First Place Award, Key West, FL

2016
PleinAir magazine Aug/Sept Salon Second Prize Overall
Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters Invitational Award of Excellence, Grand Teton Nat’l Park, WY
Oil Painters Of America Eastern Regional Exhibit–Eisele Gallery of Fine Art, Cincinnati, OH
American Impressionist Society 17th National Juried Exhibition, Howard/Mandville Gallery, Seattle,WA
American Impressionist Society: Awarded Signature Membership

2015
Salmagundi Club Fall Auctions Jane Impastato Award. Juror Elizabeth Spencer
Oil Painters Of America Eastern Regional Exhibit-Eckert & Ross Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
American Impressionist Society 16th National Juried Exhibition, Trailside Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ
Southwest Art Magazine “Women in Art” feature article

Education:
BFA–Kutztown University in PA
Figure and Portraiture classes, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA), Philadelphia, PA
Studied with Carolyn Anderson, CW Mundy, Quang Ho, Richard Schmid, and Ken Auster

Gallery representation:
Eckert & Ross Fine Art, Indianapolis, IN
Reinert Fine Art, Charleston, SC

Michele Byrne Studio
32 Wyomissing Hills Blvd.
Reading, PA
610.670.7932 | [email protected]

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