The shoe is symbolic in so many ways, from self identity, to social status, to fetish and sexuality, it is a cultural icon. Michelle DeMello depicts the shoe as a personification of an individual, of a character. She can capture your essence, your personality as a shoe and it would look and feel like you.
DeMello brings an integrative perspective with cross-cultural origins of Indian decent, born in Manchester, England, and raised in Vancouver, Canada. Inspired from fashion & design to the metaphysical & spirituality to music & dance to almost anything and everything, she likes to look at things in different ways to stretch understanding and perspective to expand beyond the seeming appearances. She loves nature and believes in a balance of a modern society coexisting peacefully with the planet. Michelle has a cosmic approach to painting with every stroke, line or drop created in a moment of synchronicity and knowing. With the intention to humanize a technologically oriented world, she creates paintings that you want to touch, rich in textures and feelings from jagged and smooth to raw and refined.
It gives Michelle great pleasure to create, capture and connect with humanity through her art.
“I incorporate my fascination of psychology, spirituality, science, pop culture, and the many facets of what creates humanity into my art. I am intrigued by fashion and design, and its ability as a medium to communicate and impact the masses and niche audiences. I am inspired by what moves people, what stirs people’s emotions, touches people’s souls and how I can create this connection to bring love, understanding, and evolution to humanity on a deep level. I like to twist perceptions and play with people’s minds. I like to integrate all aspects of humanity from the vulgar to the poetic, from the wisdom of the ancients to the efficiency of the modern man, from the technological to the tribal, I desire to bring balance, beauty and grace to the juxtaposing extremes of humanity”…
When did you become an artist?
I feel one is born into the world an artist with an intuition and sensitivity that is important to be nurtured and expressed. I ‘became’ an artist in the sense of a profession in 2004 when I started selling canvases.
Where do you go when you are without a muse?
I am so grateful to say that I am connected to an infinite source of creativity. I never go without a muse. I go within; I don’t need to go outside of myself. I don’t even need to leave the house. Although I must say nature is always a muse, which keeps me connected.
What lead you into poetry & does it always come with a painting?
People would ask me about the painting and I would tell a story or go into the philosophy and the process behind it. I found myself repeating it over and over again and people were inspired by my words, asking that I write it down. And so I did. And it turned into poetry.
The first poetry I wrote was a response to my earlier paintings and was an interesting process to go deeper into the painting after it was created, also to reflect upon where I was in that moment in time as an observer. Over the last years I’ve been focusing on the poetry, which has painting yet to accompany it. It will be interesting to explore this process in reverse. I also have musicians who are creating music to my words and I will be turning the poems into performance pieces. It will be interesting to see how this concept develops, as I also envision creating the stage and set design for these performed vignettes.
What is fashion?
Fashion is an expression of the self and an art form in itself. There is a muse, like art, behind what creates fashion, whether they are internal or external forces. Fashion is a beautiful way to extend your self as a work of art.
What is Art?
Art is spirit. Art is sacred. Art is a vehicle for mankind to express and communicate and connect with each other. Art is a vessel for the divine to bring healing to the planet.
Do you consider your work Bizarre and/or how do you relate to the concept?
If I am in a room full of ‘bizarre’ people then we are no longer bizarre amongst each other. Some of my latest works are bizarre to some and not to others. Some people may think the way I am bizarre, which is my normalcy. I guess it comes down to social conditioning and how open you are as an individual.
What is your biggest influence or inspiration?
My inspiration is discovering how deep I can go inside of myself and tapping into the unknown, the invisible, the energies of the universe, the stars, the heavens, and see where it takes me…
Favorite Artist?
In this moment Leonardo DaVinci is an inspiration or an archetype I admire for his mastery of balance and integration of the left brain and right brain.
What will you tell our viewers about going after their dreams?
Always follow what you love and allow your passion to fuel you. And for those who feel disconnected from it, cultivate it and go inside yourself. The external world is a reflection of our internal. So keep going deeper until your external world matches your internal desires.
Where can we find your work?
You can go to my website www.michelledemello.com I must say that it’s outdated at the moment as I’ve been in my cave creating, and so I’m hoping to have my newer pieces online soon, as well as an exhibition in New York City. I have a book ready to be published with my latest poetry and concepts – it tells the story of humanity’s love affair. Keep an eye out…