As Michele Ledoux would put it, she’s taken anything but the direct route on her path to where she is today as a full-time artist living and working in Evergreen.
“Let’s just say I took the frontage road,” says Michele. “Maybe some forest access roads, too. I’m grateful for all of it.”
Best known for her abstract contemporary paintings using the ancient technique of encaustic, Michele traces her winding path into artistry back to a fortuitous layover in Denver as she was deciding where to attend college. She discovered an immediate connection to Colorado, which resulted in her choice to pursue undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Taking an unexpectedly deep dive into philosophy and religious studies combined with extensive travel abroad, Michele was inspired to learn about other people, places and cultures. All while unbeknownst to her, she was also beginning to develop a deeper connection to her life purpose as an artist.
“I’m always seeking knowledge and looking to expand, both personally and professionally,” says Michele, “to become the best version of myself.”
This core desire manifested in creating a myriad of diverse travel experiences after graduation. These included walking the Camino de Santiago, a 550-mile pilgrimage in France and Spain, and other spiritual journeys that would follow. One day, in a moment of almost revelation, she was inspired to begin painting seemingly out of nowhere. This was Michele’s first experience, she says, of “truly being in the flow.”
“I think the magic in art happens when you let go of the plan and allow the art to evolve exactly as it wants to,” says Michele. “It isn’t as much about me as it is the art simply flowing through me. The less I interfere, the more authentic the art will be.”
Michele’s art and mediums of choice continued to evolve for the next several years—from painting with acrylic to photography, poetry and printmaking—while she exhibited her works in increasingly prominent art shows across the country and internationally. But it was when she encountered the encaustic technique while on a trip to Santa Fe that she found a particularly resonant medium.
“It was so different than anything I had ever seen,” says Michele. “It had a depth to it. I was so drawn to the texture and organic nature of it.”
A painting technique that dates back to ancient Greek, Egyptian and Roman art, encaustic involves applying multiple layers of beeswax, resin and pigment and then fusing one layer to the next with heat—usually with a heat gun or torch. While Michele’s creative aesthetic leans into minimalism and a primarily neutral palette, her technique emphasizes the architectural and organic nature of the beeswax by intentionally featuring cracks, chips and scratches on the surface of the paintings.
“My artwork is intrinsically connected to my contemplative, meditative nature,” Michele says, “and is a direct reflection of my authentic and intentional way of life.”
Michele’s work is held in numerous private collections and has been widely exhibited both nationally and internationally, garnering multiple “Best of Show” awards. Some of these highly competitive and select exhibitions include Architectural Digest, NYC, SOFA Chicago, the Smithsonian Craft Show and the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. As examples of her work, Michele notes that she is most known for her “abstract 7/7’s,” smaller encaustic works that invite collectors to personally curate a collection of one-of-a-kind pieces to create a dynamic wall installation that reflects their own unique aesthetic.
Moving forward, Michele continues to be inspired by all manners of tangible form and conceptual spirituality. She hopes that her artwork continues to provoke sharing, conversations and deeper individual and interpersonal connections.
“What we choose to have in our space, our home, is an important choice,” says Michele. “In this way, art is transformative. It affects and informs both ourselves and our space. Even more importantly, it brings to our attention how powerfully we can actively create our own experience of life.”
View more of Michele’s work on Instagram @micheleledoux.contemporary or visit her website, MLedoux.com, where you will also find her upcoming show schedule. Text or call the artist directly at (303) 674-9605 regarding artwork inquiries and/or to schedule a studio visit.