Michele Byrne, 1959 | Impressionist painter

Michele Byrne is an impressionistic artist known for her bold, colorful palette knife work.

Michele Byrne received a B.F.A. from Kutztown University and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

After working 20 years in graphic design, she turned to full time painting in 2001 and began plein air painting in 2006.

She often explores the theme The Art of Conversation, painting cafés, street scenes, musicians, or any social situation where people gather to converse.

She has won numerous awards in her plein air and studio work and was featured on the January 2020 cover of PleinAir Magazine with an eight-page article titled "Adventures with a Palette Knife".

Byrne moved to Santa Fe, NM in 2020 and now incorporates her bold colors and knife techniques into the Southwest colors of street scenes and landscapes.

Liliedahl Productions has released three instructional videos of Michele’s palette knife techniques.

The most recent one is titled Palette Knife Cityscapes.

Michele is proud to be an Artist Ambassador for Royal Talens North America and is a popular instructor who teaches workshops in-person and online.

Byrne has won numerous awards in her plein air and studio work including most recently Peoples Choice Award and Third Place at the Forgotten Coast Quick Draw and 2nd Prize in the Urban Life Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club in New York in February of 2015.

Painting in plein air is not just a passion for Byrne it is a dedication.

The artist must make decisions about time of day, direction of light and inclusion of figures despite that in front of you everything is changing.

The decisions allow the artist to paint dynamically with light and air as a part of the final image.

Artist Statement:

I prefer to paint outdoors directly on site. I feel that it is the best way to capture the immediacy of the moment. It allows me to immerse myself in the subject.

I am not the typical plein air landscape painter in that I enjoy capturing social situations and views of the urban landscape. Whether standing next to a busy café, an isolated beach or inside a jazz club, I know that it is not just the visual information that becomes a part of the painting.

The sounds, the smells, the mood and the environment all become integral to the finished image.

My plein air paintings are meant to be mirrors of our lives.

There is something magical and mystical about standing with your feet firmly planted on the earth, absorbing all the sounds, smells and conversations as well as the visual information and letting it all flow out onto the canvas.

I become a part of the scene and the paintings seem to flow out of me.

Michele Byrne ha conseguito una laurea in Belle Arti presso la Kutztown University e ha studiato alla Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Dopo aver lavorato per 20 anni nel campo della grafica, si è dedicata alla pittura a tempo pieno nel 2001 e ha iniziato a dipingere en plein air nel 2006.

Michele è un'artista impressionista, nota per le sue audaci e colorate opere a spatola.

Esplora spesso il tema dell'arte della conversazione, dipingendo caffè, scene di strada, musicisti o qualsiasi situazione sociale in cui le persone si riuniscono per conversare.

Ha vinto numerosi premi per le sue opere en plein air ed in studio ed è apparsa sulla copertina di PleinAir Magazine di gennaio 2020 con un articolo di otto pagine intitolato "Avventure con una spatola".

Byrne si è trasferita a Santa Fe, nel New Mexico, nel 2020 ed ora incorpora i suoi colori audaci e le tecniche a spatola nei colori del sud-ovest di scene di strada e paesaggi.

Liliedahl Productions ha pubblicato tre video didattici sulle tecniche di Michele con la spatola.

Il più recente si intitola Palette Knife Cityscapes.

Michele è orgogliosa di essere un'Artista Ambasciatrice per Royal Talens North America ed è un'insegnante molto apprezzata che tiene workshop di persona ed online.