Michelle Chrisman

For more than a quarter century, Michelle Chrisman has dedicated herself to the life of a professional oil painter and mentor. She describes herself as a “contemporary colorist and modernist” inspired by her love for the visual beauty and natural light of New Mexico and the West. She currently resides in Taos.

She paints mostly en plein air to capture the essence of New Mexico’s vast landscapes. “When painting outdoors, I complete each piece ‘alla prima,’ finishing on location in a single, focused session,” she explains. “What excites me most about this is ‘seeing’ the abstract shapes and patterns in the landscape and capturing them in paint.”

While most notably known for her landscapes, Michelle also enjoys portraiture and has recently returned to her love of painting the human figure. Using palette knife and brush, she seeks to infuse the “feel” of the person, place and moment into her work.

Her art is showcased at the Signature Galleries in Santa Fe and Scottsdale, in Taos at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art, in Albuquerque at Weems Gallery, and at the historic Abiquiu Inn.

Michelle has shared her passion for painting at Ghost Ranch workshops and through contemporary figure and still-life courses at the New Mexico Art League and Harwood Art Center.

She graduated from New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology with an associate degree in figure illustration and the School of Visual arts with a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design. She completed additional intensive art studies at the Art Students Leagues of New York and Denver and the Scottsdale Artists School. She is a long-standing Signature Member of Plein Air Painters of New Mexico.