BIO
michelle may is a contemporary expressionist painter, making work that draws from nature, history and place.
Michelle May is an artist, independent curator, and arts advocate. Currently, she is working on paintings that draw from organic forms in nature. As a curious person, history and the research of everything she encounters becomes part of her process. The environment is very impactful in her work continuously, with focused importance on the preservation of blue spaces, organic textures and the historical layers of decay. I hope that viewing my work reminds you of time by the ocean and prompts a call to action in helping to preserve these precious spaces. Michelle hopes that viewing her work reminds you of time by the ocean and in nature that prompts a call to action in helping to preserve these precious spaces.
Currently living in Massachusetts. May has exhibited locally since 2012, but much of her focus is on arts advocacy, balancing her art practice with helping others. In 2009 she founded Cirque du Noir, a fundraiser celebrating the creative culture of Worcester and donating proceeds to area 501 (c)3s. She was involved with stART on the Street, Pecha Kucha and in many collaborative exhibitions. She is a member of ArtsWorcester.
Michelle May is also the co-founder of Atelier ID Global, a branding and marketing agency focused on elevating businesses who are going “good work”. She is also the co-founder of Juniper Rag, an art and lifestyle platform using the power of marketing to elevate significant artists, connect them with new audiences and opportunities.
THE LONGER VERBOSE VERSION
After an introduction to travel, she had the great opportunity to experience multicultural environments visiting different parts of the world: Eastern Europe, Western Europe with road trips across Italy, France and Spain, as well as visiting the islands of Puerto Rico, the British Virgin Islands, Eleuthera and Antigua, combined with discovering more of United States. Travel has greatly informed her artwork. During a stay in Tortola, following the destruction of Hurricane Irma, May began to focus on her attraction to blue spaces and their preservation. Seeing the coral reefs decay within a year, her work began to subconsciously reflect the emotional impact of what she was experiencing. Michelle presented COAST | Preservation of Our Blue Spaces at JMAC Worcester in March 2024.
COAST SERIES
COAST is an ongoing series I have been working on exclusively since 2022. Isolation of the pandemic really helped me focus on making this specific work. Over the years I witness the gradual decline of coral reefs that global warming has affected in the British Virgin Islands. A coastal place that holds my heart, especially after hurricanes Irma and Maria decimated the islands and then they were hit with Covid-19, further damaging tourism. This series was painted in celebration of this place and the blue spaces. My formative years were impacted greatly by growing up in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on boats and around the water. A connection was made to water very early on in my life.
Boundless curiosity fills me with creative energy and endless inspiration. I am a New England artist from Worcester now living and working out of my home studio in Paxton, Massachusetts. Without pause, I can say the woods, ocean and travel have influenced me profoundly and contribute to the subject matter that I choose to paint. Observing macro views and textures of decay and growth can consume me. The deconstruction of these layers over time in history, materials, textures in visuals motivate me to make art. This is how I see the world around me and somehow make sense of it all. In the past few years I have been focusing on blue spaces in my work. After visiting Tortola in 2017, falling in love with the place and then having it destroyed by a hurricane, I became interested in the changes that I see in the reef environments and on the island. Global warming is wreaking havoc on the Caribbean and around the world, only getting worse annually.
VISUAL ART
Mostly a self-taught artist, I received some painting education at Worcester Art Museum and life drawing at Worcester State College. Art was a resourceful tool for me to de-stress and grow personally while raising a family. My focus was strictly watercolor and my practice was representational and very tight and planned. Refining my artistic skills contributed to me beginning my professional career as an award-winning artist and graphic designer at one of the top stationery companies in the country, where I worked for 17 years. As I worked along side of some of the most extraordinarily talented people my creative and intellectual world opened up, in art, design, user experience, technology and entrepreneurial practices.
While reflecting states of the external world, my art is made to also reflect my inner state of mind, while experiencing elements of the human condition and societal structures. My work is also inspired by travel and natural and coastal environments. Today my mediums are acrylic or mixed media, from abstract to representational and occasionally figurative. Organic materials heavily interest me with their colors and textures. Their relationship with motion, light and surface and how they evoke emotion instill a curiosity that leads me to transfer this energy onto my substrate. Loose and free line work fascinates me, especially hand-lettering and free flowing sketches. Artists that I am drawn to include Klimt, Schiele, Turner, Twombly and Brown to name a few. My art is instinctual and intuitive, informed by color, movement and form. Once I put down base layers in my work, I add more reacting to the colors and results that happen in the paint, using scraping, rubbing and dripping to make marks.
My mind does not stop processing all day every day. Art calms my mind and helps me lose myself in the process.
In 2017 I co-founded Atelier ID Global a marketing agency and during Covid 19 in 2021, we founded Juniper Rag art and lifestyle magazine to elevate artists globally. I am also the founder of Cirque du Noir, an all black attire masquerade that introduces the community to the incredible culture Worcester has to offer. Cirque celebrates art, music, dance and food, and proceeds have benefitted non-profits such as Worcester County Food Bank, The Sprinkler Factory & Creative Hub Worcester over the years. As an arts advocate, I feel that the creative economy is the basis for all commerce, entertainment and all visuals in the world and I strive to promote artists and creative businesses.
My most recent show participation:
CV for show listing.
DESIGN/MARKETING
Great pride comes from being a resourceful leader stuck on a human-centered approach. First, a visual storyteller with a reputation for creative excellence, I love to contribute to the growth of brands. Experienced in design, marketing, print and technology I have led big campaigns from concept to market for brands with aggressive growth plans. I believe that big, transformative ideas—can make the impact necessary for growth. Consistently, I have a passion for leadership, strategic problem solving and utilize a deep understanding of design to develop captivating visual identities, digital deliverables, social media and marketing campaigns as well as serve as a valuable input because my mind is always thinking. I am one of those people that hears, “Oh, wow, we never thought of that.”
Recently, we relocated from Worcester to Paxton, MA, where I have a design and marketing partnership with Payal Thiffault, Atelier ID Global. I work out of my home. In 2021, I co-founded Juniper Rag visual art and lifestyle magazine with my long-time colleague Payal Thiffault. We have created a vehicle for elevating artists, combining our skills as marketers and artists. We promote serious artists who want to reach new markets. Other professional projects include social media marketing for cybersecurity startup, ShardSecure, a marketing video and branding for Bonbillo accelerating innovation towards the Sustainable Development Goals set by The United Nations. We designed a family planning website for NIVI, an AI family planning company in Africa and India and a website and collateral for COI Energy. Local projects for Atelier include branding, signage, wayfinding and websites for Worcester Public Market and Kelley Square Lofts and The Market Pantry, as well as branding for Bedlam Books and signage for Worcester Center for Crafts. We have also designed marketing materials and branding for Mass Farmers Market and Copley Square Farmers Markets.
We are proud to have donated work and time to some fabulous non-profit organizations like 1NTERRUPT cyber security event for students, The Pet Rock Festival, stART on the Street, Cirque du Noir and Slow Art. As a life-long Worcester resident, my heart has been deeply invested in the culture of the city and for this reason, I founded Cirque du Noir, a masquerade and fundraiser for area non-profits. I am committed to sharing the art of contemporary local and regional artists, musicians, dancers and culinary talents with the public.
PUBLISHING
As of February 2021, my partner in crime at Atelier, Payal Kripalani Thiffault and I have embarked on a new adventure, as mentioned above.
We launched a visual art magazine called JUNIPER RAG.
JUNIPER RAG is an independent visual art and lifestyle magazine that elevates creatives in order to reach new markets. We celebrate contemporary visual arts —including alternative and underground contemporary art, as well as design and photography. Our issues showcase exceptional creatives who practice their crafts with unique styles and professionalism. Our featured creatives are recognized for excellence. We want to expose their work to the world and we excel at visual communication and collaboration, so perfect storm. We will engage with creatives and all patrons of the arts, interior designers, collectors, directors, curators and gallerists in our efforts of improving the ways contemporary art is created, shared and purchased.
JUNIPER RAG is available in digital and printed formats.
We believe you home is where you live, may work, and gather —made more vibrant with touches of handmade objects and pieces of art collected over time. Research shows that children that grow up learning about and making art have more appreciation for culture and creativity, growing into strong critical thinkers with a more connected feeling about community.
We know that art brings so much value to our lives — it generates an emotional response, sparks interesting conversations, and represents a memory. It may eventually serve as a smart investment or a treasured heirloom. No matter what your style is — classic, farmhouse, whimsical, minimalist to maximalist, art transforms. We hope that our readers are inspired by the creatives within our pages and bring that art and culture into your lives and your homes.
I am personally always invigorated when I see homes that are full of art.
Unique pieces speak so profoundly and give so much character to a space.
I hope you find art that resonates with you in your travels.
Thank you.