Hard Knock Life Collage

ARTIST BIO Born in South Dakota, Michel Keck was primarily raised in NWI. Throughout her art career, Michel has spent her time creating and living in various rural areas throughout both Indiana and South Dakota. Michel is a free spirited, self-taught artist who works in a wide array of mediums; painting, collage, drawings and found object/assemblage art. Inspired by nature, scripture, and personal life experiences, her works have a raw and childlike quality that reward the focus of new as well as seasoned collectors. Keck’s original abstract art paintings and mixed media assemblages have been exhibited in London, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Indianapolis, High Point, Pittsburgh, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas and Hong Kong. Her works hang in the private and corporate collections of art collectors, actors, professional athletes, restauranteurs, and have been seen on both television and the big screen. ARTIST STATEMENT My Passion: Since the time I was a very small child I just considered myself an artist. Where focus goes, energy flows. I have painted, drawn and created from as early of an age as I can remember. Making art has just always been a huge part of my life. As a child and young adult making art was always a true escape for me. Art was always a very cathartic way to get away from any troubles or worries that bothered me. My Training: I am a self-taught artist. I did not go to art school. I did not study art. I do not hang out in art circles. I know little to nothing about art history or 'famous' artists, and to be honest I have always felt like quite the outsider within the conventional art world. The art scene is not the place where you will find me as I feel extremely out of place and very uncomfortable there. My Inspiration: I'm often asked what inspires me to create and I feel I am most inspired by emotion, words, and humor. Whatever emotions are running through me at the time I am creating, really fuels my abstract paintings. I do love to listen to music while I create, so it is often the songs I am listening to and the words of the lyrics that bring out emotions in my that fuel my inspiration. There are also works, such as my Beer Can Rat sculptures for example, that are humor inspired. I really hate that the rat is always used as a negative symbol because they domesticated rats are really loving and intelligent creatures.