Laurie Philip Michaels

I create original drawings of women, transgender women, and occasionally men, that highlight their diversity and beauty. I hope these works will evoke an emotional reaction in you. The work is political. In these days when misogyny, bigotry, and even outright calls to violence have become a fixture of the political landscape, any work that respects diversity and calls it beauty is a work of protest. The hostile way that images of women are produced and consumed is challenged by my work.

It is my hope that I can capture truly human moments that each of us can relate to or admire, and in so doing enhance the social respect that we all should receive by right. Women are not the second sex. Transgender persons are not knockoffs, less than those who are assigned their most fitting gender at birth. These truths shouldn’t need explaining.

I came to art early. My mother was deeply impressed by an artist interview in which the artist told of scrounging desperately for materials when he was young. She decided no child of hers would do without art materials, and that encouragement alone launched my interest in art. It was one of the truest gifts of my life. I hope you will agree.

As you look through my list of influences, you mig...

I studied at El Camino College, Torrance, CA, CSU Dominguez Hills in Carson, CA, and The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, but my art is the result of my personal journey, and not formal training.
Influences
Chinese ink wash, Japanese wood block, stencil street art, Pablo Picaso, Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Greek Pottery, Roman Statuary, Cycladic Art, Salvador Dali, Man Ray, Patrick Nagel, Ballet

On 10/12/2018 I had a private art show in Carmel by the Sea, California at The Muse Spa.

Additional opportunities are actively sought.