Oil on canvas

My paintings are autobiographical metaphors. My work opens up a discussion about mental health and points out its inherent stigmas and challenges. I use a tightly controlled photorealistic style at odds with the turbulent subject matter and its rich emotion. The work often takes on a surrealistic tone, lending a dreamlike quality to it. Each painting is a celebration of a person’s ability to liberate themselves from their own prison, as well as the ability to change and transform. I paint themes of transformation to encourage people that change is possible.

Michelle S. Fillmore is a photorealistic painter, whose work opens up discussion about mental health and points out its inherent stigmas and challenges. She uses a tightly controlled photorealistic style at odds with the turbulent subject matter. The surrealistic elements lend a dreamlike quality to her work. Each painting is a celebration of a person’s ability to liberate themselves from their own prison, as well as the ability to change and transform.