Goderich Artist to be Featured at Festival Art Gallery

The Blyth Festival Art Gallery will be presenting paintings depicting a Goderich area artist’s “Vision of Home”. Michele Miller graduated from University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and over the past eight years, she has participated in a number of exhibitions in various galleries in Ontario, including a series of cow paintings at the Agricentre in Guelph. She has taught painting classes for students of all ages and has won several major awards for her work.

Since moving to Huron County three years ago, she is always looking for new ways to see and capture the beauty around her. Michele works in water-colours and oils, depending on the light and mood of the subject. To her, they are the most important aspects of her paintings. 

“ I am fascinated by what makes a place a home. It is so much more than just a building. A home becomes a reflection of who we are. So a sense of home for me can come from a memory that is triggered, from a strong connection with a place I've been or when I am aware of just feeling at home and comfortable in my surroundings. That perception of home could even occur in a forest or by water where, all of a sudden, I have this connection or feeling of peace,” she said.

She is intrigued by the way a house can evoke the personalities of the people that dwell within it. In a way, the house becomes a form of portrait of the inhabitants, and she wants to capture that essence. Some places exude a very strong personality or character for her. Many of the paintings are homes and landscapes of Huron County. Since moving to this county she has been on a journey to redefine her perception of home.

The public can view Michele Miller’s exploration of what “home” means to her,  in the Bainton Gallery, Blyth Memorial Hall, from July 24 to Aug. 15. Her exhibition of oils and water-colour paintings, “A Vision of Home” is curated by Lauren Marshall and sponsored by Maarten Bokhout and Helena McShane. The gallery is located next to the Blyth Festival box office and is open during box office hours.