Michelle Cartlidge

Michelle is a contemporary abstract artist who has always had creativity running through her life.  Living in North Devon, Michelle's childhood was an amazing gift of time playing at the beach and enjoying the freedom of being able to explore the local area.

Her love and need for this input is enduring, staying with her through good times and bad, through derailing trauma and struggles with hidden disabilities, as a way of life, a therapy and an abundance of inspiration for her work.

She is interested in people, places and experiences where the cycle of life, decay, erosion and renewal can be found; peeling paint and the crumbling concrete of an old disused building, graffiti, the liminal spaces between sand and sea with the rocks, cracked and marked surfaces, driftwood, crumbling cliffs, weathered and rust-stained groynes, the myriad lines in sea tossed pebbles.  Sadly the brightly coloured detritus of modern consumerism also catches her eye, littering the sand, entangled with everything.

Her artworks are an intuitive outpouring of all these influences, absorbed through all her senses.  She uses paint and many other materials to create work with rich texture and layers, building up a history and a depth.  Some layers are revealed, some remain unseen, paralleling a hidden beauty or darkness.  Each of the pieces evolves over time and emerges with its own life and its own story.

Michelle also accepts commissions so please do get in touch to talk through your ideas or to see her work in person, either through her website or on instagram.