Michele holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University, and she spent a decade doing research at 3M. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Hamline University. As a visual artist, she was trained at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and relies on many traditional techniques from quilting and bookbinding. She is self-taught in sewing, constantly inventing new ways of combining paper, fabric, and stitching in her studio. Michele’s poetry and woods journaling are the inspiration for, or find their way into, her visual artwork. She lives and works in the woods of Brown County, Indiana.

Artist Statement:
I combine my love of paper and stitching to express my fascination with forests and the difficult subjects of illness and grief. I machine quilt into paper, then add hand embroidery, beading and sculptural elements to create artworks that explore the often-unseen world around us. I spend as much time as my body and chronic illness will allow in the woods around my Brown County home, photographing the forest, especially the mushrooms, mosses and lichens, native plants and insects that make themselves known to us when we take the time to stop and look. These walks and photos are the basis of the artwork I create, whether I am hand embroidering directly into the photographs or using them to create patterns, designs, or ideas for stitched paper artwork.