Art by Michelle Held
Much like a pink spoonbill soaring through the dusky evening twilight, Michelle Held brings with her a splash of vibrancy, a flutter of unique perspective, and the bewitching song of nature in its truest form.
Born and raised in Maryland, Michelle knew from a young age that she was meant to fly the vast skies of the art world with a palette and paints tucked beneath her eager wings. Passionately working as an artist and business owner for the past 25 years, Michelle has been living out her dreams in Sarasota, Florida. Michelle currently participates in invitational paint outs and is widely collected throughout the United States. She is also represented in 5 thriving galleries.
Her success in the art world has come from her winning combination of creative spark and imaginative nature along with her meticulous attention to detail. Often commissioned for custom paintings as well as murals, Michelle’s passion for wildlife and its ecosystems brought her to embrace the natural world through painting from life.
From serene, swampy marshes draped in ancient Spanish moss to tiny, rickety oyster towns bursting with rainbow buoys and boats, there is always a sight to behold. Michelle is passionate about the morning glow of a waking sun illuminating an observant egret, the conversation between a fisherman and a hungry pelican testing its luck, or the simplistic beauty of a half-peeled clementine, bursting with flavor and juicy color.
Michelle believes that evoking a feeling of light, space, and passion is the key to any successful contemporary painting. Michelle gives attention to composition, design and value and gives credence to a “go with the flow” attitude as well, and lets the painting direct her, instead of imposing her will on it throughout the entire process.
Plein air has set flight to many paint outs, including Easton, Forgotten Coast, Lighthouse Art Center and many more. Achieving many awards throughout this journey, her favorite ones are the artist choice awards. The real victory, however, has come with her love of teaching. There were so many who encouraged her, Michelle finds that paying it forward is the best way to fulfill the soul.
Taking a note from the birds she so loves to paint, Michelle approaches painting like flight, letting the swells and surges of the wind carry her and her brushes through those brilliant, beautiful skies.
Recent Shows & Paint Outs:
- Paint the Town Invitational
- Paint Sarasota Invitational at Art Center Sarasota
- Light Chasers 3rd Annual Paint Sarasota Paint Out: 2015 Best in Show
- Lemon Bay Invitational 2015: Artist Choice Award
- Art & Frame Spring Show 2015: Honorable Mention
- Renaissance Small Works 2015: 1st Place
- Easton Invatational Paint Out 2015: Best composition Quick Draw
- Art Uptown Dog Days of Summer 2015: 1st place
- Arcadia Paint the town 2016: Honorable Mention
- Wekiva Paint Out 2016
- Lightchasers Annual Show 2016: 3rd place
- Lighthouse Invitational Paint Out 2016
- Winter Park Paint Out 2016
- Feature Artist Lightchasers 2017
- Judge: Lightchasers annual show
- Paradise Invitational Paint Out 2017
- Wekiva Invatational Paint Out 2017
- Winter Park Invitational Paint Out 2017
- Forgotten Coast Ambassador 2017
- Solomons Paint out 2017
- Honorable Mention Solomons Paintout 2017
- Best Painting of Automobile Solomons 2017
- Cover artist New Symerna Beach Paintout 2017
- Palm Avenue Lightchasers show
- New representation from Palm Avenue Gallery
- Plein Air Magazine award: Palm beach Paintout 2018
- Judge Arcadia Paint Out 2016
- Judge Purple Isle Aviary Competion 2017
- Judge Art and Frame Florida Flavor Show 2017
- Judge Lightchasers Members Show
- Judge Arcadia 2017 Paintout
- New representation from I Pickney Simons Gallery
- Wekiva Invittional Paint Out 2018
- American Art Collector Award: Lightchaser Show2018
- Orange Audubon Show
- Winterpark Paint Out 2018
- Forgottencoast Ambassador 2018
- Judge Arcadia Paint Out
- Audubon Show Oakland Manor
- Lost Art Gallery Show St Augustine
- Wekiva PaintOut 2019
- Cover Artist WinterPark Paintout 2019
- Forgotten Coast Invitational 2019
- Forgotten Coast People’s Choice Quick Draw 2019
- Bucks County Invitational 2019
- New Symerna Beach Paint out 2019
- Wekiva Paintout 2020
- Forgotten Coast (virtual) Paintout 2020
- Forgotten Coast People’s Choice
- Winterpark Paintout (virtual) 2020
- Great American Pandemic Paint in 2020
- Plein Air South Faculty 2020
- New Smyrna Beach Paint out 2020
- Wekiva 2021
- Plein Air South Faculty 2021 spring
- Forgotten coast 2021 1st place Quick Draw
- Adirondacks 2021 1st Place
- Plein Air South Faculty 2021 fall
- Sedona Plein Air Festival 2021 1st Place Quick Draw – Honorable Mention Quick Draw -1st place quick Draw
- 2021 Sedona Overall Collectors Choice
- 2021 SALMAGUNDI Club Audubon show
- 2022 Wekiva Cover Artist
- 2022 PleinAir South Faculty
- 2022 Forgotten Coast Plein Air
- 2022 Winterpark Paint out
- 2022 1st in Sedona Birdy Show
- 2022 Peoples Choice Birdy Show
- 2022 AIS accepted associate show
- 2022 The 2022 NOAPS SPRING INTERNATIONAL ON-LINE EXHIBITITION
Winner of
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- Grand Champion Sedona Paintout 2020
- 1st Sedona Plein Air Quick Draw 2021
- Overall Collectors Choice Sedona Plein Air 2021
- 1st place Forgotten Coast Quick Draw 2021
- 1st place Adirondack Paintout 2021
- Sedona Overall Collectors Choice Award 2022
- Sedona Best Architecture 2022
- Sedona Quick Draw 1st Place 2022
- Sedona Quick Draw Honorable Mention 2022
- Best Western Plein Air Salon 2022
- Art in the Open People Choice 2023
- Art in the Open Bronze Award 2023
- Art in the Open 3rd place Quick Draw 2023
Galleries:
I Pickney Simons Gallery
711 Bay Street
Beaufort, South Carolina
Lost Art Gallery
210 Saint George Street
St Augustine, FL
Our place in Paradise
88711 Overseas Highway
Tavernier Key, Florida
Gallery Cero
1014 Miami Springs Dr.
Longwood, FL 32779
Palm Avenue Gallery
10 South Palm Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-388-7526
Website: