Michelle Salter

Artist Statement:

Water evokes memories through our senses.  Every body of water, every river, every brook is unique and engages us in a distinct way.  Each has its own appearance and range of sounds, tastes, and smells.  The ocean is different from a pond; a larger river is different from a small brook. Water soothes body and mind.  Water is also a substance of contradiction.  It is clear but reflective, transparent but opaque, fragile but enduring.  These qualities can provoke associations long buried in the subconscious.

As I am creating my artwork, I think about each body of water’s individual characteristics and envisage the personal connections they recall.  I am a process-orientated artist and the subject of water has allowed me to explore encaustic medium.  Encaustic lends itself beautifully to water’s physicality by capturing its subtleties, light, movement and depths.  Too, I love the irony of creating a painting about water using fire.

Biography: 

Michelle Salter’s artwork is influenced by her longstanding interest in nature and environmental issues as well as a love of the abstract form. “Inspiration for my work comes from what I see around me.  I love the challenge of interpreting iconic Canadian landscapes in a new way”, says Salter.

Michelle Salter is a graduate of the University of Waterloo with a B.A. in Fine Arts – Studio.  She is an active in the arts community and is a member of the artist collective Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts in Toronto, the Crit Group in Kitchener and Gallery 96, an artist-run centre, in Stratford.  Her work is collected throughout Canada and represented in many private and public collections.

To contact Michelle:
email: michelle@michellesalter.ca
website: www.michellesalter.ca