Photos of Michelle Marcotte's paintings, including her new series of food paintings, are found at: michellemarcotte.com

MICHELLE MARCOTTE, ARTIST

Michelle Marcotte has studied art, mostly painting, for over 45 years, beginning serious studies at Windsor’s Vincent Massey High School, at the Fine Arts Department of the University of Windsor, then with artists in Ottawa Canada and in Maryland. I have produced works in oils, acrylics, clay, bronze, plaster, straw and rope, paper and poetry.

I have travelled to, and worked in, over 40 countries, spending considerable time in museums and galleries in Paris, Vienna, China (Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu), Thailand, England, Washington DC, Bali and other countries.

Twelve years ago I began painting again, placing several works in private collections. I started the Visual Arts Guild and became the Art Curator of University United Methodist Church, College Park Md. In 2011, I taught painting and organized the successful Waterfall at City Hall Art and Music Culture Days event in Niagara Falls and became the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Community Artists Niagara in 2011.

In 2003 I moved from Ottawa, Canada to Maryland to marry a delightful American (Ken Vick). I became the Arts Curator of University United Methodist Church on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park and founded the UUMC Visual Arts Guild. I converted a large space in the church into a gallery and launched several exhibits each year, selecting artists from the public and students at the university. In 2010 I became an American, keeping my Canadian citizenship.

In 2011, we moved to Niagara Falls (Canada), where I became Chair of the Board of Directors of Community Artists Niagara. I started an artist-in-residence program and obtained grants for ten artists in residence. In 2011, in Niagara Falls, I focused most of my paintings on my passions for food and cooking. In 2013 I began painting in the Niagara Falls farmer's market and developed a plein-air approach to painting flowers and food, fresh, prepared and cooked.

We now live in Lewiston NY, wintering near Gainesville Florida. In 2014, I founded the River Region Artists' Studio Tour and Art Walk in the Lewiston and Youngstown area (you can find us on Facebook). In 2016 I won one of only two commission awards to continue my series of food paintings from the New York State Council on the Arts for Niagara County. I am active in several arts organizations in the Niagara region and Gainesville Florida.

In 2019 I won another NY State Council for the Arts grant to organize "2020 Vision - Women Artists in Western New York". The exhibit at the Castellano Art Museaum included 186 artists and attracted over 700 people to opening night. I later organized a video version of the exhibit on YouTube (Vision - Women Artists in Western New York).

I paint the most important things in life - people, food and the gardens and land that sustains us.

I also paint people in defining spaces and moments: the 70-yr old man cutting a birthday cake, the girl in her prom dress, the boy on the cusp of manhood about to embark on a canoe trip, the eight-year old who has just figured out who she is, the kid who will only make funny faces for the camera.

The landscapes and florals I paint are derivatives of reality; I paint landscapes in plein-air or from my own photographs. I am not very interested in detail. I look at agricultural spaces from above, and wild landscapes that capture light, movement and color.

WRITING

Aside from her consulting business writing, Michelle is the author and writer of books for children, fiction and non-fiction.

She has had two picture books published in 2023, "Will Evie Ever Lay An Egg?", (illustrated by Seema Haider), and"ABC Vegetables - Abécédaire Des Légumes" with Joël Beddows (illustrated by Michelle Marcotte). Both books were published by Archway Publishing.

Later this year her third bok, "Chase That Polar Bear Out of the House" (illustrated but Annely So) will also be published by Archway Publishing.

Michelle is actively marketing several other picture books, early reader chapter books and one huge middle grade historical fiction book to agents and publishers.

She is a member of the Society of Childen's Book Writers and Illustrators.

ART CURATION, EXHIBIT PROJECTS AND GRANTS

Michelle received a grant from the New York Council on the Arts to organize '2020 Vision - Women Artists in Western NY', an exhibit including the work of over 180 women artists at the Castellani Art Museum on the grounds of Niagara University. The opening in Feb 2020 greeted over 700 people in one evening! After the exhibit closed during the covid 19 pandemic, she produced a YouTube video of the exhibited works ('2020 Vision - Women Artists in Western New York').

In 2025 - 2026, Michelle also received an art production grant from the NY State Council on the Art to produce paintings in her food series, producing the paintings in public at a local grocery store.

Michelle organizes the biannual River Region Artists Studio Tour and Art Walk in the communities of Lewiston and Youngstown NY.

When living in Niagara Falls Ontario she organized the first successful Waterfall at City Hall Art and Music Culture Days event in Niagara Falls. She won an Ontario Council on the Arts Community Art grant that helped support multiple artists in Niagara Falls. She was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Community Artists Niagara from 2011 to 2013 and taught painting.

Michelle was declared to be a Professional Canadian Artist by the Canada Council on the Arts in 2022.

Michelle is an exhibiting member of the Buffalo Society of Artists, the Buffalo Niagara Arts Association and the Gainesville (Florida) Fine Arts Association. Her work is exhibited with those associations several times a year.

Michelle's paintings and books are represented by River Art Gallery and Gifts in North Tonawanda NY.