Today we’d like to introduce you to Michele Yellin.
Hi Michele, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always loved making things ever since I was a kid. Art class was always my favorite class. So, I was like a lot of other kids. And I was pretty shy, so it was a great way to occupy myself. Early on I learned to sew and decorate cakes but it wasn’t until I took a drawing class in high school that I started to get more serious about making art. I had parents who appreciated art and were not terribly concerned about the direction my higher education took me. I was lucky in that, as they supported me in pursuing art.
I took art classes at college in New Orleans, and then in Bridgeport, Ct, and earned my BFA in studio art at UNC Chapel Hill. I was always interested in improving my skills and learning about different mediums of art making, from drawing, printmaking and painting, to sculpture, stained glass, mosaics, carving, woodworking and ceramics. At a certain point in my 20s, I became concerned about my ability to earn a living with my art making skills and decide to attend classes at ECU in Greenville, NC in commercial art and graphic design. While interesting, I realized that commercial art was not for me. I was always drawn back into the fine art classes.
Meanwhile, I got married and had 2 children. We lived near my parents, who both developed dementia. My time was not my own, as most of my time was spent raising the kids and helping my parents. But, when I had a little time, I would work on my art. At first, it was in an unconditioned attic space. Then on a door as a table top in a small home office. Later my husband and I had a full sized studio built with big north facing windows in our home. It was a perfect place to make art when I could squeeze it in. Having a space at home made it possible for me to work as much as I could.
So I kept at it. I told myself again and again, “Slow and steady gets there too.” It seemed like I never had enough time. When my children were young, I focused on pen and ink and watercolor. These were mediums that I could easily set aside without any clean up when I was called back to my duties. As time went by, I had made many small ink and watercolor paintings. With 4 friends, I started exhibiting my paintings. I went on to show and sell my work in local community centers, libraries and coffee shops.
At a certain point I decided to go back to Acrylic paint on canvas, something that I had worked with quite a bit while in college. I took workshops from Jane Filer, and later with John Beerman. By then I was in my 40s. I joined a cooperative gallery in Hillsborough, NC and eventually had work in a gallery in Santa Fe. Later on, I rented a studio space in a public facing art studio building, Artspace, in Raleigh NC. 8 years later, I continue to work part of the week on my art at Artspace. The other half of my studio time is in my home studio in the woods in Chapel Hill.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. But then, whose road is?
I had lots of doubts about whether being an artist was a worthwhile profession. Could I ever earn a living? It’s not like I am curing disease. Does making art matter? It took a long time for me to really understand that this is what I am here to do, and that it has value.
When people start out wanting to make something, it’s not good, unless they are a prodigy, which I am not. It takes a lot of focused time and commitment to actually improve. I did not have a lot of free time. I felt like I was always behind. But, it turns out that I am a stubborn person. I am willing to see things through, to not give up.
Also, I had to develop a thick skin. I, like a lot of artists, am a very sensitive person. I had to learn to set my ego aside over and over again.
As I mentioned, while developing my art making skills, I was raising 2 sons, 6 years apart. I was lucky that I was married to a man who was okay with going to work and making most of the money to support our family. I worked different jobs, when time allowed to help fill in the gaps.
My parents, who lived nearby needed more and more of my time and energy as time went by. My father developed Alzheimer’s disease in the 1990s and my mom took care of hime until he died in 2007. I was her support and fill-in helper with my dad. Then my mom developed dementia in 2012, and I was her person. Meanwhile, my kids were growing up, with all sorts of different activities and needs. I cannot count the amount of times I had to remind myself, while deep into a painting or preparing for an exhibit, that my family had to come first. Those were challenging times, to say the least, rewarding, but extremely challenging.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a painter.
I create multi layered under paintings with a variety of colors and patterns as a way to get started. Each canvas can have up to 10 layers before I get started on developing a composition. I do that by looking at the abstract under-painting until I see one shape that looks like a thing. I then draw and paint that thing, and continue to build out the composition that way.
My paintings are filled with vibrant colors, sometimes appearing quilt like. Often they contain a house, or houses. It is always the same one, which is a based on an old farm house in the Hudson Valley in NY that I lived in with my family when I was a young child. There is something about that house, something about the idea of home, that I am always seeking to connect with.
I often think of the phrase that Ram Dass said that goes something like “We are all just walking each other home.” That’s the feeling that I am trying to get to when I paint.
One painting I am particularly proud of is a piece I did in 2025 for Habitat of Humanity of Raleigh, Wake Forest and Johnson Counties as they celebrated 40 years of helping people own their own homes. I was honored to be a part of that.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Go to openings. Go to open studios. Go to museums. Go to galleries. Join painting or other art groups. Take classes. Go to lectures. Join an artist guild or club. Start a group yourself. Have friends over to make something. Talk to the people in all those places.
Read books about Art. Read books about Artists. Read books about making Art. Read books about the business of Art.
Don’t expect to find one mentor. That’s a lot for anyone. Take what you can from each experience.
I have found that most people are happy to share what they know. If a person doesn’t want to share their knowledge, don’t take it personally. Just move on to the next thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.micheleyellin.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micheleyellin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063693391030
