Artist's Statement

Michael-Che Swisher's work is inspired by her love of animals. As a child, she dragged home every injured squirrel, bunny, and bird. She still stops and picks up every lost dog she encounters and volunteers as a wildlife rehabilitator.

Michael-Che focuses on color, texture, and the personality of the animal. She works instinctively and rarely plots out the colors , tools, or technique. The artist uses both brush and painting knives and enjoys moving around thick layers of paint on the canvas. She mixes her colors both on the palette and the canvas.

Ms. Swisher began her art career at age twenty painting Ben & Jerry's murals. Realizing her mother was wrong and she could actually make a living as an artist, she moved to San Francisco to attend the Academy of Art University. She now lives outside the city where deer, wild turkeys, lizards, and owls roam her backyard.

Before turning to fine art, Ms. Swisher was an illustrator for seven years. She has illustrated four children's books. Her artwork is used on plates, towels, books, and advertisements. Her paintings are in private collections throughout the U.S. and in Japan, Australia, Great Britian, and Canada.

Michael-Che is owned by four cats and a beagle (the only lost dog to not be reunited with his family); all of which, show up in her artwork. The cats used to help, but she now dries her paintings vertically to cut down on paw prints.