artist_michelleboerio

your art incorporates the ocean beautifully, have you ever thought of painting the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
Thank you! I have actually made some art about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch as a student, though it’s not finished enough to share. In a bookbinding class, another artist and I made a handmade book about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

how has teaching other people art changed your art?
Teaching is wonderful because it forces me to question why I do things in certain ways or which topics I know well and which I have misremembered. It’s like a really good refresher in the foundations of making art and why art makes people happy.

are you fascinated by vernal pools like I am? but wait, no fairy shrimp watercolors?
I am definitely interested in vernal pools—such an active and temporary environment. I haven’t made any fairy shrimp paintings yet, but I tend to make more art about vernal pools in winter and spring, so maybe in the future?

if your art was even more magical than it already is, if you could paint one ocean animal that take over the world and dictate the actions of humanity, what would you paint?
Now that would be interesting! I think bowhead whales should get more of a say in the world. They can live to be over 200 years old, so they’ve definitely accrued some wisdom to share.

you had some art displayed in Italy; how different do people think of art there vs. in Columbus, OH? What role should art play in the lives of children?
I can’t speak for everyone’s views on art in Italy, but there is definitely more of an emphasis on traditional art forms there. I think partially because they have so much rich art history right in the country. Art and making art should absolutely be present in the lives of children. Making art is a great way to play and express oneself without words.

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Michelle Boerio

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