Michelle D. Held
Sarasota, FL.
Born and raised in Maryland, Michelle knew from a young age she was meant to paint. Passionately working as an artist and business owner for the past 28 years, Michelle has been living out her dreams in Sarasota, Florida.
Michelle currently participates in invitational paint outs and is widely collected throughout the United States. She is also represented in 3 thriving galleries.
Her success in the art world has come from her winning combination of creative spark and imaginative nature along with her strong desire to evoke a feeling in her paintings.
Often commissioned for custom paintings as well as historical restoration, Michelle's passion for wildlife and its ecosystems brought her to embrace the natural world through painting from life, en plein air.
With an insatiable appetite for color, light, and texture, Michelle strives to inspire happiness, trigger your imagination, and make an emotional connection with the viewer. She believes evoking a feeling of light, space and passion is key to any successful contemporary painting.
Michelle sought after classes also continue to push artists and encourage all who are passionate, that success lies within reach.
Awards
Sedona Collectors Choice 2022
Best Architecture Sedona 2022
1st place Sedona Quick draw 2022
Honorable mention Sedona Main Street quick draw 2022
Cover Artist Wekiva Plein Air2022
Faculty Plein Air South 2022
Noaps Best of America 2022
Peoples Choice Cashiers Plein Air 2022
Best Western February Plein Air Salon 2022
1st place Sedona Saturday Plein Air Quick Draw 2021
1st place Sedona River Quick Draw 2021
3rd place Sedona orchard Quick draw 2021
Overall Collectors Choice Sedona Plein Air2021
1st place Forgotten Coast Quick Draw 2021
1st place Adirondack Paintout 2021
Publications
"The Oil Painter's Color Handbook" (Monacelli Press, 2022)
Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine's "Five to Watch" in 2020
Plein Air Magazine's "11 Rising Stars to Add to Your Collection" in 2019
