Original paintings on canvas for a burst of playful color

Colorful

Abstract Landscapes

Large-sized, 50-144 inches

Paintings in this collection are generally  black, white, and gray/neutral with an uplifting energy and balance. Some have splashes color. See each painting for detail.

Black and White/Neutrals/Monochrome

Michelle Louis Medium Paintings, 48 inches and less

In these daunting and uncomfortable times, I hope this work reminds you to be receptive to the beauty and mystery of life that's worth fighting for. It's still here. Every day. Stay open, be soft. Be brave. Listen. Act. Take a chance. Celebrating and confronting life's transience, I want to show you how Nature constantly expands and contracts all around us, kindling our sense of awe, urgency, and wonder.

Rounding the Light | From 2025 Solo Exhibition

Michelle Louis Small Paintings, 24inches and under

Large Geometric Landscapes, 60+ inches

In nature, spirals are the embodiment of strength and beauty. From seashells, to galaxies, to the foundation of life—DNA, spirals have several patterns that can be mathematically described, such as the familiar Fibonacci sequence. 

On an emotional level, the spiral is comforting, a reminder of inherent, underlying order and harmony. Symbolically it expresses the idea of evolution, progress, and growth. 

As a meditative process—silence + painting + spirals—has an honest rhythm that invites a deeper dive with time to linger. Each painting is a call to invigorate your sense of wonder and connection. Michelle Louis is a naturalist and full-time artist trained in studio art, graphic design, and landscape architecture.

What Goes Around

It's human instinct to connect with nature and other living things. This idea is fundamental to biophilic design, where natural materials, shapes, light, and patterns build a connection to nature within the human constructed environment to help promote wellness, creativity, and productivity. Biophilia is the wellspring of my abstract painting practice. "The Nature of Kinship" series celebrates the unsung beauty of plants and our relationship with them—they feed us, they clothe us, they heal us. They create the very oxygen we breathe.

The Nature of Kinship

Blue

Bold, simple shapes and forms express beginnings and evolution in the natural world on planet Earth.

Elemental Series

This miniseries considers the enduring strength of the natural world and our faltering connection to it. Color, forms, texture, and line reveal possibilities of love, life, absence, presence, and longing. With or without us, nature reigns and endures.

Through introspection, choices, and action, we can strengthen and rebuild fraying connections with the natural world that move us all toward presence and love. 
 
This series was created with quality materials left from other projects, on natural wood, and cotton canvas. I created them without plans or sketches, in the moment, from an open mind. They serve to remind you of your own strength, endurance, and connection. They invite you to amplify your inherent goodness.

Strength and Endurance

Earthscapes/Wild Delight

Verge

Inspired by a roadtrip to the American West, boldly colored geometric and gestural forms conjure an iconic geographic story of canyons, buttes, mountains, and mesas. Reflecting sensation of place and time, they are not representational landscapes. Here earth and jewel tones are powerful, grounding, and healing. Hard edges melt into soft spaces where spirit and mind are free to roam. Back in my Wisconsin studio, I felt like this series painted itself. A good roadtrip has that kind of power. I hope this euphoria of shape, line, and color guides you toward a deeper sense of what it means to be alive in this astonishing world right now.