Holiday shows!

Hi, friends and art lovers and anyone who may be reading this:

It's hard to believe the holidays are already here again. In response to the election results, I am doubling up on my efforts to raise funds for environmental and animal organizations through my art. To this end, I have paintings in several group shows of small art, perfect for gifting, for the holidays.

The above creatures are two from my new "genius animals" series, and they're showing in "Tiny Treasures XI" at Cactus Gallery in L.A. These gifted rodents have discovered Maxwell's equations and are showing the world that animals are indeed smart! I will be donating proceeds from the sale of these paintings to the Center for Biological Diversity. Please contact Sandra Mastroianni at Cactus Gallery for purchase info, or go to my page on Cactus Gallery's website to purchase.

Three paintings from my "Cats on Catnip" series are showing in "Tiny" at Studio Gallery in San Francisco, with proceeds to benefit the Dancing Cat, a cat adoption lounge in San Jose. The paintings have titles like "The Electric Catnip Kool-Aid Test" and "Magic Catnip Ride" and I've been having a lot of fun creating them over the past few months.

Finally, I'll have some new small paintings in "HARK!", the annual holiday group show at Kaleid Gallery in downtown San Jose where I am a resident artist. The new pieces are of foxes and were painted in the last couple of weeks. Proceeds from the sale of these pieces will go to the Center for Biological Diversity and their work to defend endangered species. There will be an opening reception on Friday night, December 2nd, as part of South First Fridays, and I will be there.

Thanks for following my work. May we all use our talents to light a path in these dark times, for all of life on Earth.

Art to benefit animals

I have art in a couple exhibits to benefit animals. The first is a benefit for the grassroots activist group Wolf Patrol. "Still Howling - Art for the Wolves" showcases original paintings, prints, photos...all to benefit the endangered Canis Lupus. I have one painting and a few prints available, and 100% of the proceeds will go to Wolf Patrol. Below is the painting I've donated:

"All That We Want Are Our Lives" (c) 2015 Michelle Waters
12" x 9" acrylic on wood

I've also donated a painting to the exhibit "Bunnymania", to benefit The National Museum of Animals and Society in Los Angeles. Bunnymania is a fundraiser art exhibition curated by celebrated Los Angeles art critic Peter Frank and exhibit producer Delia Cabral. The show raises awareness about our relationship to rabbits, both the animals and what they’ve come to symbolize in our human experience.

"Bunnymania" will show in two galleries: Chungking Studio in Chinatown (Downtown L.A.) 975 Chung King Rd. Los Angeles, CA from March 27 - 29 with the Opening Reception March 27th From 6:00pm to 9:00PM; and Wilding Cran Gallery Unit B in the Arts District (Downtown L.A.) 939 South Santa Fe Ave. Los Angeles, from April 4th-18th, 2015, with the Opening Reception on Saturday, April 4th from 6 to 9 pm. Below is the piece I've donated for "Bunnymania".

"The Flower Child" (c) Michelle Waters

9" x 6" Acrylic on wood

I feel really blessed that I'm able to use my art to directly help spread the message of compassion for non-human animals. It is definitely a huge gift, and one for which I'm very grateful.

New art at Sanctuary Bistro

Happy 2015. Let's make this a more peaceful world for animals, humans and the Earth. In that spirit, I have a small show of mostly new paintings up at Sanctuary Bistro, a wonderful new vegan restaurant in Berkeley, CA. There will be a "meet and greet" event this coming Monday, January 19th from 6 - 8pm. Below are three new pieces I painted for this show.

"Don't Fear Me" - 12 x 16 acrylic on wood - (c) 2014 Michelle Waters

"I am the Spirit of the Land" - 12 x 16 acrylic on wood - (c) 2014 Michelle Waters

"Let Me Be My Wild Self" - 12 x 16 acrylic on wood (c) 2014 Michelle Waters

September - October art shows

I have work in 2 group shows right now. The first is "Pets, Beasts and Dinner: Relations Between Human and Animal Creatures" at Gallery Bergen in Paramus, New Jersey. I'm really happy that my more political work about animals is being seen. The more sets of eyeballs that are exposed to the reality of what non-human animals go through, the better. Below is the show flyer, and the three paintings I have in the show.

"Love One, Kill the Other" - (c) 2013 Michelle Waters

"Smarter Than Your Dog" - (c) 2013 Michelle Waters

"The Right to Arm Bears" - (c) 2005 Michelle Waters

The second group show I'm in is a frog-themed exhibit at Cactus Gallery in Los Angeles. This show will be up through September. Here's a link to all of the pieces in the show, and below is my piece (a toad, not a frog).

"Toadally Spellbound" - (c) 2013 Michelle Waters

Last but not least, I'm one of the featured artists at this year's Luna Park Chalk Art Fest in San Jose, CA, which is this coming Saturday, September 20th. This is a great annual event that raises money for art in the public schools. For more information, please visit lunaparkchalkart.org

Summer shows

I have work in a couple of group shows right now. "Song of the Birds" is Cactus Gallery's annual bird-themed show, which is up now and runs through July 31st, 2014. For purchase information, please contact Sandra Mastroianni at semastroianni70@yahoo.com. Below are my pieces in the show:

"Sacred Heron" (c) 2014 Michelle Waters - 5 x 7

"Death and Rebirth" (c) 2012 Michelle Waters - 8 x 10

"Cardinal Sinners" (c) 2012 Michelle Waters - 10 x 10

I also have one of my animal liberation paintings from last year's solo show in "Disconnect", a group show sponsored by the Northern California Women's Caucus for Art at Transmission Gallery in Oakland. This show is up through July 19th. The piece the curators chose for the show is below. I'm really happy for the chance to have my more confrontational work shown, as most galleries shy away from activist subject matter.

"Terror" (c) 2013 Michelle Waters - 24 x 18