We are the descendants of an endless line of anonymous ancestors, from human to animal to fundamentally, the dust of deceased stars. The largest stars end their time through a fiery cataclysm called a supernova. Luckily, such destruction aids in both forming heavier elements and dispersing them throughout the cosmos. Without the creation of these heavier elements, our bodies would not exist. As such, supernovae are much like forest fires in that they are instrumental in spurring on new growth and fostering life.
Celestial Framework, Oil on Canvas, 20″ x 30″, 2014
Traces of our past can be detected in the layers of planetary sediment, the strata providing us with valuable clues at the formation of both our bodies and the world. However, answers to the bigger questions still elude us. While there is so much scientific and societal progress in many parts of the world, we still have limited understanding of what may happen after death; the nature and origin of the universe; consciousness; and sometimes, our very own personalities.
Lessons, Oil on Canvas, 30″ x 40″, 2014
This series of paintings navigate personal feelings of confusion over existence, human history and the unfathomable enormity of the universe. A metaphysical landscape serves as the backdrop for the synthesis of colourful abstract and figurative imagery. Geometric shapes materialize out of openings in the brushwork and float through invisible channels, forming information highways. The divinity of the natural world is described through connecting dots, which combine to build lattice-like constructions of baffling complexity. Ancient Greek statues are occasionally interspersed throughout the landscape, sinking into and peeking out of the abstract brushwork.
Trap Door, Oil on Canvas, 30″ x 40″, 2014
These works bring together the disparate to illustrate an alternate plane where thoughts flow freely through the loosely woven mesh of reality. The universe is both around and within you. Discover infinity.
Oblivion, Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 48″, 2014
Image Credits
All Images Are © Michelle Tourikian
Michelle Tourikian Artist Bio
Michelle Tourikian, born in 1989 in Richmond Hill, Ontario, earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from OCAD University in 2011 majoring in Drawing and Painting. Post-graduation she gained valuable experience and insight as a participant in OCAD University’s 2012 Florence program.
Living in Florence, Italy initiated a period of rapid evolution in her work, which began with a range of paintings focused on representing the emotional distress involved in change, displacement and mortality. Since this development, her work has transformed into a visual representation of information gathering, desperately seeking to discover a tangible manifestation of thought through the mixed use of abstraction and figuration. Traditional materials such as oil paint, canvas, wooden panel, paint brushes and palette knives collaborate to breathe life into this chaotic alternate plane of existence.
Website: Michelle Tourikian – Toronto Fine Artist & Oil Painter
Blog: Michelle Tourikian Fine Art
Follow Michelle Tourikian on: Facebook | Pinterest
Please Share Your Thoughts - Leave A Comment!