Statement
I create abstract paintings that explore the complexities of the human experience and the ephemeral nature of being. I work instinctively with color, organic forms, and expressive marks—layering paint with brushes, spatulas, and sponges to build saturated fields and surprising textures. Each composition evolves through a dynamic interplay of structure and spontaneity. For me, painting is a cathartic process—a way to translate what’s difficult to articulate into tangible, visual form.
Bio
Michele de la Menardiere is an abstract painter based in San Francisco, California. She has exhibited her work in national and international galleries and her paintings are part of private and corporate collections such as the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities, Nokia, and the Ritz Carlton.
Michele’s art has also been exhibited and acquired by the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies Program and is part of several public art projects indulging a large-scale installation at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Arlington, VA.
Her paintings have been featured in prominent media outlets such as The Washington Post, on the set of KQED’s Check, Please! Bay Area, and in Sotheby’s residential projects.
Michele is a graduate of Chelsea College of Art and Design in London, England.
Art in Embassies Program
2009: Ouagadougou Embassy, Burkina Faso
2004: Pristina Consolate, Kosovo
2003: US Embassy in Algiers, Algeria
Public Art Projects
2015 Superbowl 50 Artwalk, San Francisco, CA
Art Walls at Hyatt Regency, Crystal City Virginia
Emerge Art Walk, Washington, DC
Art Underground display, Crystal City, Virginia
Residences
2025: Cycladic Arts Residency, Paros, Greece
2023: AIR Ubud, Ubud, Bali
2013: Palette People Artist Residency, Vagamon, India