"Here it's Peace," a solo show by artist Michele Guieu

In her solo show at the San Diego Art Institute, artist Michele Guieu presents a compelling juxtaposition of new paintings and digital images portraying newsworthy, global events with the equally important events that comprise her daily life.

Each and every day an event of great importance occurs somewhere in the world. The importance of each event, however, is a matter of perspective. And each of us tries, to some extent, to reconcile the events that occur in the world with those somewhat smaller, but equally important, events that occur around us in our daily lives: an endearing moment with a child, a walk on the beach on a sunny day, time with family and friends. In her upcoming solo show, "Here it's peace", Michele Guieu presents her latest series of paintings and digital prints, a juxtaposition of newsworthy, global events, with the events that comprise her daily life.

Michele says, "I generally start all of my work on the computer using photos I take almost every day of my family, friends, and landscapes I enjoy, such as the desert and ocean. I play with the layers in the images, the transparency, the colors, and the framing. The possibilities are endless. Sometimes I decide to stop and to print a particular image as a digital print, while with others I continue on and transfer them by hand to the canvas, adding further details with the brush."

Her work has been shown through galleries in France and Denmark, as well as in the United States. In 2007, Michele participated in the Juried Biennial at the Cannon Gallery in Carlsbad, the "Cultural Fusion" exhibition at the Museum of the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, and the "On/Off: Art in the Digital Era" exhibition at the Cabrillo Gallery in Aptos. In 2006 she participated in both the International Digital Exhibition at the San Diego Art Institute and the All Media Juried exhibition at the Palos Verdes Art Center, and in 2005, the "OMA 4" at the Oceanside Museum of Art.

As a teenager, Michele lived in Africa, an experience that changed her perspective on the world, and which now strongly influences the content of the art she creates. She remembers her time in Africa as simultaneously a cultural shock and an amazing encounter with nature. She states, "I am very interested in desert landscapes, and I am always eager to discover new ones. I enjoy placing my characters into these landscapes, a sort of metaphor for the human condition." Michele has since traveled extensively and now lives and works in San Diego, California.

The show continues through July 13, 2008.
A talk about the show will be given by the artist on July 8 at 6 pm.