Michele Byrne is recognized for her figurative plein air work. She lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico. However, she travels extensively, painting in various locations including, Italy, Cuba, Paris, Manhattan, , Colorado, and Key West, Florida. Michele was a Faculty Demonstrator for the Annual PleinAir Convention in San Francisco in April of 2014 and 2019. She also has three instructional videos with Liliedahl Productions on Palette Knife Painting.
“I prefer to paint outdoors directly on site. I feel that it is the best way to capture the immediacy of the moment. It allows me to immerse myself in the subject. I am not the typical plein air landscape painter in that I enjoy capturing social situations and views of the urban landscape.“ Whether standing next to a busy café, an isolated landscape or inside a jazz club, I know that it is not just the visual information that becomes a part of the painting. The sounds, the smells, the mood and the environment all become integral to the finished image. My plein air paintings are meant to be mirrors of our lives. There is something magical and mystical about standing with your feet firmly planted on the earth, absorbing all the sounds, smells and conversations as well as the visual information and letting it all flow out onto the canvas. I become a part of the scene and the paintings seem to flow out of me.
“Painting plein air allows me to create a more fluid diary of the ever-changing activity of a café or street scene or beach scene.”
