BIO

As she creates her mixed media work, Michelle Davis Petelinz of Kindred Spirit Studios is irresistibly drawn to incorporate symbols, patterns, textures and colors found in African and Native American cultures which are her heritage. Michelle’s art-to-wear and wall pieces may feature original, hand cut stamps; hand painted papers; alcohol ink; her signature textured low-fire clay elements; gelatin prints; metallic threads; and paper beads. The inclusion of wood, stones, feathers, shells, and bone beads imbue her wall pieces with strong tribal connections.

Michelle often works in a series, visually exploring the cultural significance of decoration and symbology, or how color plays across various surfaces and textures. Her influences include the Ndebele painted houses of South Africa; Korhogo cloth patterns from the Ivory Coast; Ghanaian gold weights; Bogolan mud cloth from Mali, designs used in Ethiopian body painting, and organic shapes found in nature. Michelle’s goal is to interpret these visual elements so they will resonate with the viewer as objects at once unusual and familiar; evoking ancestral and contemporary design, speaking across cultures to the deep well of the universal.

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