Michele Janée’s mixed media pieces are highly reflective and change with the ambient light - much like fish in the ocean flash their luminescent colors. These unique works are created with different varieties of shell veneer, including abalone, and gold leaf. The gold leaf, which can vary from silver to gold and variegated colors, is applied and hand-colored with stains and inks in multiple layers, essentially painting with it – a time-laborious process. The thin fragile sheets of shell are also hand-tinted. In dim lighting they give off a quiet glow.

Michele is a native of Santa Barbara, California, and has spent countless hours in the sea on the surface and below. She has a deep appreciation for the unspoiled natural world and a special draw to the ocean. Each piece is a learning experience and a discovery of interacting with nature more intimately. The goal is to portray fish in their natural setting with their vibrant shimmery colors that are only seen when they are live. Once they die, their colors quickly fade and the magic is lost.

Michele has a degree in Studio Art from University of California at Santa Barbara and has studied from renowned painters such as David Gallup, Stephen Mirich, John Comer and Jean LeGassick. She has also worked for over twenty years as a graphic artist.

She is a frequent exhibitor and has won numerous awards with graphics, paintings and mixed media. Mixed media awards include first place from the Thousand Oaks Art Association, 2011, and Honorable Mention at the Fish & Fishing Exhibition in Coos Bay, Oregon. She has recently been selected to create public installations for the Stanford Children’s Hospital.

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