| MICHELLE
MARTIN began taking classes at The Art Academy at age 11
and continued on through high school while she attended the Perpich
Center for the Arts in Golden Valley, MN. “Looking back on the eight years I spent at The Art Academy, I realize the positive effect it had on my creative life. The school allowed me to concentrate on projects that helped me understand the process of creating a picture. Methods I learned taught me the technical aspects of drawing and painting, while the school's welcoming environment filled me with assurance to develop a personal aesthetic. The teachers took the time to talk to me and really listened to what I had to say. If high school was hard or I felt down I always could look forward to my painting class at The Art Academy where I could find encouragement. This school was a major force behind my realization of my passion for art and gave me the confidence to pursue it after high school.” After receiving several grants and internships and exhibiting in group shows in the Twin Cities area, Michelle went off to the Lyme Academy College of Fine Art in Old Lyme, Connecticut, on a four year Adams Scholarship based on portfolio excellence - the most prestigious scholarship the college offers. There Michelle majored in Oil Painting, which also included courses in Drawing, Watercolor, Pastel and Printmaking. Classes in Art History and Traditional Materials and Methods courses rounded out her training. Her hard work and dedication were recognized at graduation, when she became the recipient of the John Stobart Fellowship, a $5000.00 prize awarded from Boston to one exceptional painting major each year at the school. Today, Michelle pursues a career in figure painting, etching and lithography. Michelle’s passion for teaching is clearly expressed in her following statements: “Because I experienced first-hand an invaluable art education and found a home to express myself as an individual at the Art Academy, I take seriously the role this school plays in the lives of students today. The emphasis on steady focus to construct an image well gave me the discipline to excel in art, and I want to pass those skills on to others. “I enjoy teaching because I care about this school and its values. I’ve discovered, too, that students affect me as a teacher and person as much as teachers once affected me while I was a student. While I strive to convey ideas and methods concerned with art-making from the knowledge I’ve gained over the years, I also enjoy seeing these students from week to week, as I work to provide unconditional support to encourage their creative endeavors. “Not all students who come to the Art Academy will pursue careers in art, but while they’re here they will all find a place to have fun, learn things that they are not taught in other schools, have a space to be themselves, and discover talents they did not know they had. I feel blessed, and am grateful and excited to be a part of this program again. " |
|||||||||||
 Michelle Martin, Figure Study |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
