Michelle Mansour

Phase A
acrylic, ink, & silicone on plexiglas
6 in. diameter

Phase B
acrylic, ink, & silicone on plexiglas
6 in. diameter

Through the lens of perception, fluctuating between the miniscule and the grandiose, we find fear and wonder of the unknown, the invisible, and the uncontrollable. My paintings are an investigation of the interior world of the body where this wonder and fear, beauty and illness mingle in the same fluids and membranes. While I refer to documentary images from microscopic photographs and biology texts, the paintings themselves push the imaginative space that potentially exists beyond the threshold of the eye. Forging a connection between the microcosmic and macrocosmic, the paintings are invitations to contemplate topographical passages through our own internal depths.

My process includes layering translucent washes of acrylic color and building up relief surfaces with silicone. Fluctuating between organic fluidity and manipulated surfaces, I use this combination of techniques to speak about the tension between what we can and cannot control in our own physiology. While the subject matter suggests the seemingly inevitable possibility of illness and disease, the paintings serve as meditations on the exquisite and delicate balance of the natural world.

© Michelle Mansour