Michelle Anderst:

I am currently exploring the relationships between organic structure, such as bones and beetles, to man-made structures that achieve the same functions using similar structural elements.  One example would be comparing the human circulatory system to the pipes in an oil refinery.  I find it extremely fascinating that a circuit on a computer board looks very similar to a nerve cell ending called a bouton.  I use wallpaper in my compositions to enhance and compare the elegance that I see in bones, veins and nerves.  I want viewer of my work to think about the patterns and beauty in these parts of our bodies instead of seeing them as a reference to death.

 

I have learned thus far that my paintings are a direct result of my experience as an only child.  My childhood was spent in an environment free of unnecessary stimulation with many afternoons of solitude and quiet.  Instead of watching television I poured over my father's anatomy books.  I spent much of my time preoccupying myself through observation which led to the depiction of scenes filled with solitude, self-reflection and nostalgia.  My religious upbringing has also been an inadvertent element of my paintings.  Religious symbols occasionally appear in my work not as a personal expression, but as an observation of the way these symbols are present in society.