Michelle Ramin was raised in the small town of Williamsport in Central Pennsylvania. She attended the Pennsylvania State University, from where she graduated in May 2005 with her B.A. in Drawing and Painting, Soon after, Michelle decided to venture to the eclectic city of Portland, Oregon to continue her artistic endeavors. Michelle now resides in SE Portland, working at Art Media while continuing to breach new territory with her artwork. Her new series of abstracted landscapes, animals, and cityscapes has been well received and landed her shows and exhibitions throughout Portland.
 
ARTIST STATEMENT: One’s artwork is a very difficult thing to explain. I feel a spiritual connection to my creations. Most of them, in my mind, were conceived out of a need for balance, in every aspect of the word. Opposing colors are juxtaposed as are formal elements in response to the eyes’ insatiable need for order. Symbolically, antithetical forces and ideas are being represented: male vs. female, light vs. dark, life vs. death, peace vs. war, reality vs. dreams, etc. However dissident these pairs are, they need each other. One can not survive without the other. These sorts of dualities exist everywhere. My mind thrives on them and often confuses me to no end. This is the beauty of life, though. Nothing and everything makes perfect sense. Confusion is a constant state of inspiration to me. Questioning our actions and our viewpoints is the only way to grow as souls and as artisans. By exploring my works, my hope is that these dualities become evident in the work as well as in the viewer’s mind and life. It is important to become aware of our inner selves and to eternally question every line that we draw. In this new series, I have been mostly concerned with the idea of balance between industry and nature. As humans living in this now industrialized world, we must be cautious of our choices as well as the consequences of our actions. I do not blame us as people for wanting to grow and develop and to gain more knowledge, understanding, and even control of our environment. However, as intelligent beings, we have created such amazing structures as steel bridges spanning mile-wide rivers, glass skyscrapers that grow 80 stories high, and divided highways, interstates, power lines, and telephone poles that extend for thousands upon thousands of miles all to make our lives easier. Surely we can devise ways of respecting the earth that houses these magnificent structures. It’s a difficult but extremely important task. These pieces were made to discuss that need for balance between nature and industry as well as to create awareness of our daily surroundings and choices. Thanks for looking! -Michelle Ramin, 2007 BIO: