Michele Cross studied Industrial Design at the Central School of Art and Design in London, England, and has worked in the Information Technology industry for many years. She moved to Canada in 1995, taking fine art courses at OCAD and TSA in Toronto. She exhibited her paintings in non-gallery based solo projects and group shows for a number of years. After taking a break for a few years, which allowed her to develop her drawing style, she has recently participated in a number of local group shows. She is a Member Artist at 1313 Gallery in Toronto.

Michele’s inspiration comes from the cultural media around us, especially movies and music.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I have produced art using many mediums. I currently work primarily in graphite pencil drawing, sometime with just a pop of color, to highlight or distract. I also like to combine and contrast, modernity with historical themes. For example, an old photograph of an unknown person or visited location, will spark a reference in my mind of a movie, song, or maybe a story, and then the picture will evolve.

In the case of personal photographs of family and friends, I sometimes create more traditional portrait formats, to capture the likeness of the character. However, I often employ a more imaginative lens to create a more dramatic representation of a specific trait or persona, and then I simply have some fun with the dynamics. I love the surreal combination of contrasting imagery that do not relate precisely, but hold a relationship anyway.