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Overview
Born in Chicago and trained in Europe, Michelle Moraczewski studied with European masters Patrick Betaudier in Paris at the Atelier neo-Medici, and Russian impressionist Murat Kabulov. However, during her years at Rice she studied with abstract expressionist, Baselios Poulos. Chicago influenced her artistic, aesthetic, and conceptual ideas, causing the straddle between Art and Architecture, her two passions. Having a French grandmother who brought her to Paris often gave her a deep sense of history, tradition, and culture, which contrasts with the modernism that was in the water in Chicago. Equally at home in the urban or rural environs, she paints freed by a firm classical foundation with a look at the timeless present. Moraczewski finds the beauty of daily life in the simple things. The strictures of modern composition underly all her work, followed by the classical methods of technique, and finally the impressionist expression of color makes Moraczewski a truly contemporary painter. Beauty is ephemeral and fleeting while art is born of process. Whether capturing ripe peaches still warm from the orchard just on the verge, or a stroke on the petals of the rose before the fall, Michelle spends meticulous hours in her studio on her farm in Tennessee. In “From the Garden,” she paints Lilies she grew and apples from her trees. Wildflowers gathered from a morning walk become the subject of the days painting. Fresh brushstrokes mixed with the old master’s tradition of glazing and layering give each work her own mark. Moraczewski is a master artist, working in the traditional techniques with a preference to paint from life whether still-life, the figure, or landscapes. Her fascination with waves, rivers, and waterfalls is merely about light and color in motion, a challenging concept. Her land, horses, and friends are often immortalized in her unique style. She holds degrees in Art, Art History, and architecture from Rice University. She is also the author of several novels and a few poetry compilations including ‘A Creation Story,’ and recently ‘Collections: Poems + Paintings’. “Drawing and painting are a way of life, whether inventing buildings or drawing from nature.” Michelle Moraczewski
