BIO
Michelle Doll’s paintings capture quiet, private moments hinged on personal connections between herself and her subjects. Her paintings are infused with themes of intimacy and introspection and explore contemporary ideas about family, love, desire and femininity. The subject matter, although not idealized in form, implies idealized moments of intimacy that we all either consciously or unconsciously crave. Born in Canton, Ohio, she received her BFA from Kent State University and her MFA from the New York Academy of Art in 2006. Among her awards and acknowledgements, Michelle received the Prince of Wales / Forbes Foundation Travel Grant in 2006, was granted Artist in Residence at Eden Rock on St. Barth’s (French West Indies) in 2008, received The Bennett Prize Honorable Mention in 2018, and received a fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts in 2019. Her paintings have been exhibited in the US and internationally with solo exhibitions at Lyons Wier Gallery in NYC, Pontone Gallery in London, Gallery Ramfjord in Oslo, Blank Space Gallery in NYC and DFN Gallery in NYC.
Doll’s artwork has been the subject of numerous interviews in publications such as Quiet Lunch, ArtSpeak NYC, American Art Collectors Magazine, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, White Hot Magazine, Evolved Magazine, also featured in publications including “The Figure”, by Margaret McCann (a Rizzoli Publication) and “The Figurative Artists Handbook”, by Robert Zeller (Published by Moncelli Studio). She’s been interviewed in podcasts including John Dalton Podcast, The Drop Interviews, The Art Grind Podcast, Mother Artist Podcast and Art Haus Radio with Bo Bartlett. Her work is is also featured in publications including “The Figure”, by Margaret McCann (a Rizzoli Publication) and “The Figurative Artists Handbook”, by Robert Zeller (Published by Moncelli Studio).
She currently lives and works in Hoboken, NJ and is an adjunct professor at the New Jersey City University while also teaching and mentoring artists both in person and online. For more information about Michelle Doll and her work please visit www.MichelleDoll.com or follow her on Instagram @michellelynndoll
Artist Statement
I’m attracted to the physical and metaphysical energy that exists between individuals who share a deep connection: the touch between a couple, the closeness between a mother and child. These transient flashes of human contact hold meaning in the creases, crevices, overlaps, folds and weight of connecting bodies. I experience each brush stroke as a way of recording both the physical body and the invisible mental dialogue during a private moment. In scrutinizing these deep human feelings, I evoke an intimate connection of the mind, body, and soul through the tactile substance of paint.
These paintings are meditations for me to be present with the positive aspects of love and connection. The work is about real people who share honest feelings of connection, and it is work that feels deeply meaningful to me. To that end, I paint people I personally know, who feel intimate love and true connection with each other. My objective is to preserve significant memories within the emotional dialogue of two bonding individuals. Above all, I want to fill my own life with the positive energy of love, and these painted meditations on intimacy are a way to be present with those sensations.