Michelle Yamamoto

Medium: Oil and Acrylics

CREATIVE BEGINNINGS. Hood River artist, art educator, and muralist Michelle Yamamoto was initially trained in graphic design before turning to painting when she moved to Asia in 1988. For 12 years Michelle lived on the island of Borneo, then Beijing, China, and Manila, Philippines where her deep curiosity in these wide-ranging cultures captured her imagination and social consciousness. 

INSPIRATON AND PROCESS. Now working from her studio and school, Art Circle, her paintings are known for imaginative storytelling of the soulful journey we are all on. She incorporates people and wildlife as subjects in a unique blend of realism and abstraction. 

“My oil and acrylic paintings recently have utilized iconic pop culture figures as a doorway to look beyond the fixed perceptions and images we often create of individuals. I have been intrigued and delighted with how my paintings of people bring people together.” 

LIFE AS A GORGE ARTIST. In addition to offering private lessons at her school, Art Circle, she is presently head of the Arts department at Hood River New School. As an accomplished muralist, Michelle’s large scale works reflect Hood River’s rich local culture and heritage. Her public murals can be seen in Odell, Oregon, at the Hood River Museum of History, Hood River Valley High School and Henkle Middle School in White Salmon.

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