Michelle Stone

Michelle Stone is a visual artist based in Chicago. Growing up in an art commune, she was immersed in creative experiences but didn’t pursue art-making until early adulthood. Drawing became her gateway into art, and she prioritized refining her technical skills before developing her artistic language. After earning her undergraduate degree at SAIC, she gained the confidence to push beyond traditional techniques and embrace a more intuitive approach. Her work explores themes central to the human condition—life, death, love, relationships, and emotions—using art as a means of investigation. Stone’s creative process is cyclical, with one piece inspiring the next. Working across sculpture, installation, painting, and portraiture, she follows a distinct visual language unrestricted by medium. This fluidity extends to her materials; her sculptures incorporate recycled elements, acrylic paint, wood, and plaster, which compose hybrid creatures or abstract natural forms that exist individually or in dynamic groupings. Her paintings, created on paper or drafting film with acrylic and house paint, explore abstract narratives and shadowy figures, reflecting themes of transformation and decay. Across her body of work, connections emerge—similar forms appear in sculptures and painted photographs, and leftover acrylic fragments from her palette find new life in three-dimensional pieces. She views art-making as a lifelong process, with her work serving as a continuous dialogue with her craft.