Michele Giulvezan-Tanner

Painting

I practice mindfulness meditation. Occasionally, it involves loving kindness meditation. My focus is usually on my breath, but at times I focus on my body or the sounds outside my body that appear into my consciousness. Part of this meditative process involves my art making. I paint what I am most frightened of, the impermanence of life.

My paintings are about the timeline of human life, and its effect on art. For the last 15 years I have been deconstructing the subject matter. In as much as I enjoy the painterly challenge, the energy of my work derives from the paintings’ constant push/pull of disintegration and the ensuing impermanence.

My paintings have taken on a rectitude that runs parallel to my own aging. As we age, we become less visible by losing our contrasts and edges. The physical markers of our uniqueness fade, leaving a more abstract version of our former selves. But there is beauty in this process.

I started my life journey in St. Louis, Missouri. Being the youngest child with older brothers, I found the best way to approach life was by speaking less and observing more. I believe artists must learn to really “see,” before they learn to translate their perception into art.

My mother was a “stay at home” mom who channelled her creative energy into the home. She had an eye for beauty and style, which was not lost on me.

I received my Bachelor of Arts and Master’s of Art in Painting from the University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana. Over the years I taught art at many levels, from high school through university. I have collectors from San Francisco to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Several years after moving to California in the 90s, I gave up teaching to spend more time in my studio. During the last 15 years my work has taken on a new layer of truthfulness. Aging has given me a sharper focus to the impermanence of life.

Over time, the importance of exploring the creative psyche through painting has become my raison d’ etre.

More on Michele Giulvezan-Tanner’s work can be found on our Links page.