Cherchez la Femme - 2nd Edition Online Version

Throughout my life, in every aspect of it, I’ve been surrounded by women. It’s like living inside of a kaleidoscope of beauty and wonder.

The French phrase “Cherchez la femme” implies that women are frequently the underlying cause of events. I have found this true for my art where the female subject has consistently served as a source of inspiration and universal fascination for its audience.

My work, like that of all artists, I presume, is the result of my life experiences, which I interpret through my perspective and express using whatever medium best conveys my creative vision.

Since childhood, most people in my life have been women, with one major exception - my maternal grandfather. He impressed upon me that among life’s most important things, none surpass the importance of women. To him, they were (and for me, still are) the raison d’être; the very reason for living.

I share the work here with you as an audience in the hope that it will resonate with some.

Essentially, this allows me to find those kindred spirits whose interpretation of my work touches something inside them, making them feel moved, embraced, or understood by the message they derive from it.

The concept of [our] souls is a universal subject that provokes fascination and allure in every culture.

With these images, I’m trying to portray the luminescence of the soul, through the creation of ethereal figures set in a dark space that represents the void left in its absence once it leaves.

“The aim of art is to represent, not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”

— Aristotle

“The world isn’t waiting for more of the same.”

— Rick Rubin

“A picture is a poem without words.“

— Horace

Persephone

Tissage

Tamaki san

With the “Tissage” series I’m interested in giving the viewer a look into the world of a woman who is very much in her own space. It’s simply about a moment between the future and the past.

Throughout much of my work and especially with this series, I’m interested in creating images photographically that don’t appear to be photos. There are times that I embrace the beauty the camera, as a tool, can deliver and there are times I prefer to push beyond the typical results that it has to offer.

These images are shot with a large burlap panel hung between the model and my camera to achieve a painterly, semi-impressionistic quality that renders the subject anonymous though still relatable.

The fabric panel shifts the focus away from her identity, to her state of mind. It gives a sense that, rather than looking at the image, we’re looking into it.

As an artist, one of the most interesting aspects of working on this series was, while having the fabric barrier between the subject and myself (she couldn’t see me) she was allowed a sense of aloneness and the freedom to be herself, lending a certain honesty to the image in its representation of my intent.

Tissage

Teala

Tissage

Crystal

I’m interested in creating images photographically that don’t appear to be photos.

“For now she need not think about anybody. She could be herself, by herself.

And that was what now she often felt the need of –to think; well, not even to think. To be silent; to be alone.”

— Virginia Woolf

To the Lighthouse

“We are saved only by love — love for each other and the love we pour into the art we feel compelled to share.”

— Tennessee Williams

THE ILLUSIONS OF PSYCHE

These sketches are part of the early development of this series.

Sketching concepts is an important part of my artistic process. It helps me tighten my visions and aids in communicating with the models I collaborate with so they better understand my intent and direction.

The name of this series, “The Illusions of Psyche” came to me in a dream shortly after I began working on it.

In this series of digital mixed media images, the female figures represent the Greek Goddess Psyche. Her form is born from an ink blot much like those used in the psychological testing Hermann Rorschach was famous for. The subject’s form becomes a part of the abstract allowing the viewer to determine what they “see” when looking at the amalgamation.

Here the ”ink blots” were created using India ink and watercolor paper which was then digitally scanned and merged with the photographic image of the model.

“Only through art can we emerge from ourselves and know what another person sees.”

— Marcel Proust

Essence

Anais Nin once wrote about the differences between men and women, noting that when a woman leaves a room, her essence lingers, resonating in the air like a wisp of intrigue that remains in her recent absence.

With this series of photo montages, I’m depicting the figures as part of that lingering aura.

The smoke element of these images is a photographic image. Its randomness and unpredictability made working with this subject fascinating and beguiling.

My instruction then, to the models I collaborated with, was to imagine themselves as a wisp of smoke. This gave a sense of continuity as I set out to fuse the two images together.

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”

— Pablo Picasso

FEMMES DES BOIS

Femmes des Bois II

Femme des Bois III

The “Femmes des Bois” (Women of the Woods) series of images depicts a dreamlike realm, capturing what appear to be forest nymphs, as if glimpsed fleetingly, much like a grazing deer.

The sometimes incongruous images build a fantastical world where these elusive figures seem to inhabit the woods.

Femmes des Bois VII

Femmes des Bois VIII

LIQUESCENCE

In virtually all of the figurative work I do, my primary motivation is to portray women as strong, confident and inspiring.

Often, in discussing my work I’ve referred to the “fluidity of the female form” rivaling any other beauty found in nature.

This series of photo montages takes that phrase as its inspiration and allows me to render these figures as something mermaid-esque. They are themselves graceful, liquescent, flowing forms.

Once conceived, I set out to discover what result I would find by dropping India ink into a cylinder of spinning water. It was exactly what I’d hoped for and made the rendering of my initial concept profoundly simple.

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see .”

— Edgar Degas

MISCELLANEOUS IMAGES

“What art offers is space - a certain breathing room for the spirit.”

— John Updike

Atlasina on Black

Waiting for the World

“The one thing not worth looking at is the obvious.”

— Oscar Wilde

Raison d’être

BIO

Growing up outside of Chicago, the internationally acclaimed visual artist Michael Alan Coakes began studying art at a young age. Through frequent visits to the Art Institute of Chicago, he fostered an appreciation for a diverse range of artists, from Picasso and Dali to Mucha.

Mostly self-taught, he has honed his unique style across a range of media, including drawing, painting, and photography, over the years, through mentorships and various institutions, most notably the American Academy of Art in Chicago.

Over the past decade, he has participated in more than 70 solo and group exhibitions showcasing his work.

To my friends, models and collaborators —

Adrina, Agnes, Alexis, Ali, Amber, Anna, Anoush, Astrid, Avery Lee, Brennan, Christie, Corinn, Crystal Jade, Crystelle, Dakota, Elysia, Emily, Janet, Josie, Kat, Katie, Melissa Jean, Roarie, Sadie, Svala, Sylwia, Tamaki san, Teala Marie, Tiana, Veronica, Victoria, Viktoria and Whitney.

A heartfelt thank you for helping me bring my visions to life!

Also, deepest gratitude to my mentors, galleries, patrons and collectors.

And above all, my eternal love and appreciation to Cindy, for everything, including her enthusiasm and support of my artistic endeavors.

michaelcoakesart.com