Michelle Montague

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Painting Our Neighbour, the American Robin | video
Posted on July 26, 2020

Our Neighbour, the American Robin is the second of a two-panel painting (also known as a diptych). Created using oil paints on a 18″x24″ canvas, this piece took me about 1 week complete. And since this is the second panel, I started off by drawing a rough sketch of the Robin’s nest just so that (…continue reading)

Painting the American Robin | video
Posted on July 16, 2020

American Robin took me about 30 hrs to complete and has gone through quite the evolution. The bird in this oil painting was inspired by an actual Robin that nests in my backyard. My vision for this painting was to have the Robin perched atop a tree. I want the painting to have a feeling (…continue reading)

Plastic Dreams, Broken Promises: The making of “In Conversation”
Posted on March 30, 2020

We live in a culture where consumption and waste are common habits. Plastic seems to be everywhere, and while it is useful we need to recognize the effects it has on our environment and daily life.  In Conversation (Red) and In Conversation (Green) are two soft sculptures, crocheted using recycled and repurposed shopping bags. Featured (…continue reading)

The Story of the Sun and the Moon: An Inspiration
Posted on May 22, 2017

“Tell me the story about how the Sun loved the Moon so much he died every night to let her breathe.” The quote itself have inspired, writers, poets and artists alike. Though the quote’s cultural origin is unknown, many believe its roots come from an earlier folk-tale Why The Sun Chases the Moon. However, there (…continue reading)

How I Became An Artist
Posted on April 14, 2016

Looking back on my years as an artist, I sometimes find myself asking “How in the world did I end up here?” or “What decisions have led me to this point in life?”. Though I’m unable to recount every decision or detail up to today (besides I promised myself that this would not be a (…continue reading)

Let’s Paint! A Fun Exercise in Mixing Colours
Posted on April 3, 2016

For the month of March, fellow artists Zoraida Anaya, Lisa Fox and I launched our exhibition titled My World, Our World at the Smith Zone Gallery of Lakeshore Arts. The exhibition was part of the Women’s Art Project artist collective, a multidisciplinary and diverse group of women artists. To close the exhibition we were invited (…continue reading)

Choosing My Paint Palette
Posted on March 27, 2016

If you search online, or look into any interior design catalogues, go into any paint store etc. you will find 100s if not 1000s of different colours of various shades that are on trend for a particular season. For me, an art supply store with its beautiful array of paint colours is a bit like (…continue reading)

Patterns in Nature: My Inspiration
Posted on March 20, 2016

In my previous post I mentioned that Nature, family and music are often the source of my inspiration. These sources of inspiration are triggered by a specific moment, a memory or a feeling. For example, the sweet smell of pine trees on a dewy morning, or a family of Mallards rhythmically floating on the lake. (…continue reading)

The Art Connection
Posted on March 13, 2016

Whenever I show my work often times I’m often asked “where do you draw your inspiration from?”. My prepared response is usually nature, music or family. The interaction rarely lasts for more than a few minutes and typically the person asking the question comes away feeling satisfied – Or that’s my assumption. However over the (…continue reading)