Michelle Held is an award-winning fine artist living in Sarasota. Often commissioned for custom paintings and murals, her vibrant paintings express her passion for wildlife, the natural world, interesting places, and colorful things.
“I love exploring the outdoors from serene marshes to rickety oyster towns with their rainbow colored buoys and boats,” she said. “I’m guided by a desire to evoke a feeling of light, space and passion.”
Michelle combines her technical knowledge about composition and design with a go with the flow attitude. “My aim is to be guided by the experience of painting instead of trying to control the creative process in a mechanical way.”
Born and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland, Michelle moved to Sarasota 29 years ago. “I was a singer at several local venues for about a year before launching a historical restoration and faux finish business,” added Michelle. “Photos of my first job ended up being featured in Sarasota Magazine and that led to many new projects.”
Michelle is a self-taught oil painter, and she’s been taking workshops and studying plein-air the past 10 years. Plein-air is a French expression meaning in the open air. It refers to painting outdoors with the artist’s subject in full view. Plein-air landscape painting is a central feature of French impressionism, and it remains popular around the world.
The plein-air movement has led to artist gatherings known as a paint-out. Michelle enjoys attending these events to meet other artists, share ideas, and support various charities and nonprofits. Some of the paint-outs she’s attended include Easton, Forgotten Coast, and Lighthouse Art Center.
Michelle describes herself as a hybrid painter. “I gather lots of details when I’m in the field working on a new painting,” she explained. “I bring my observations and ideas back to my studio for refinement and to consider various color options. I value the combination of working in the field and my studio.”
Michelle has received multiple awards and her favorite awards are the artist choice awards. “It’s very special to be acknowledged by other artists,” she said. “I also love teaching workshops in person and on Zoom. It’s rewarding to help students learn more about oil painting and painting birds. Seeing other artists succeed fills my cup.”
See more of Michelle’s art at ArtbyMichelleHeld.com. Some of her work is on display at Palm Avenue Gallery in Sarasota.
