Artist Spotlight: Maya Michaud
“I am very excited for this opportunity to introduce my contemporary portrait art to the diverse audience of the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine. Through each piece I hope that the viewers can see themselves within the paintings, embrace one’s own personal uniqueness and feel a sense of inner strength and community. ”
A new exhibit of artwork by artist Maya Michaud is on display now at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine (CMTM). The Falmouth, ME based artist specializes in portraiture work using mixed media, newspapers, and oil paint in abstract, expressive ways. CMTM invites visitors to contemplate all thirteen of Maya’s beautiful portraits as they move throughout the building.
See Maya’s work through March 2023 in the grand stairwell between the 3rd and 2nd floors.
To see more of Maya’s work or to contact her directly, please visit:
Instagram: @maya.rose.art
Email: mayaroseartworks@gmail.com
5 Questions with Maya Michaud
1. Maya, can you tell us a little about yourself/ your background?
My name is Maya Michaud, I love to travel, read, spend time with my family, and of course, always work on art projects. I received my Fine Arts and Business minor degree from Saint Joseph's College of Maine, and since then, I have displayed my work at the Nettie Ricker Gallery, the Falmouth Memorial Library, the Windham Library, and the Munka Studio in Lewiston. I specialize in oil and acrylic portrait painting, but I also love working with clay, photography, and digital design. When I was younger, I was always quiet but would find myself constantly drawing or painting people, which evolved into my current practice and passion for creating artwork.
2. What inspired the collection of work on display at CMTM?
For this collection of portrait paintings, I was inspired by creating work that expresses individual uniqueness and embraces one's life story. I worked on creating new characters that have their own narratives to discover through the combination of paint and newspaper articles. I wanted to create a collection of portraits that has an abstract meaning but also has its own unique way of storytelling. I love to experiment with new techniques and ways of creating artwork that has its own story to tell, and through this series, each individual is different and has their own narrative. I have always been interested in artists such as Cindy Sherman and Jenny Saville and their way of creating abstract stories through their portrait work which also helped to push the inspiration for this series.
3. Can you share your process for creating and making?
My process for creating my paintings is to find reference images that I feel are very intriguing and portray a sort of uncertain emotion to them. Once I find my reference images, I will search through many Maine Sunday Telegram newspapers that I have collected over the course of the year to find any passages that I feel connect to a particular reference image. I will also find related articles or words that I feel create a unique story for each portrait. Once I have my story pieces put together, I will sketch my image and glue the paired newspaper articles to that particular portrait. From here is when the combination of newspaper layered with oil paint brings the portrait to life. I focus on using a vast amount of colors that I feel match the person's personality and create a very vibrant and exciting visual image with deeper meanings within them.
4. What do you hope young viewers take away from your work?
Each piece in this series represents a personal story and experience. I hope that the viewers of this series can see themselves within the work and can connect to the portraits on a personal level. This series is also an introduction to contemporary portrait art to the younger generation who visit the Children's Museum. I hope that the curious minds who view this collection will have fun exploring and discovering its many features.
5. What advice do you have for young artists?
As advice for younger artists, I will say to always believe in your work and enjoy what you are making. Always continue creating and don’t be afraid to try new things and test out new art techniques. As an artist myself I am continuing to learn and grow in my artistic practice because it’s an ongoing and ever-evolving skill. Art is so personal and unique to each person so make sure that what you are making is meaningful and personal to you, express yourself through your artwork.
