Michelle Larsen

BIO
Michelle Larsen, a recent mother, currently teaches art at South Ogden Junior High and is working toward her MFA through a low-residency program at Lesley University (formerly the Art Institute of Bostin) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  “I live in Ogden, which is quickly becoming what I consider to be the coolest town in Utah. I show work at Pandemonium Art Gallery on Historic 25th street in Ogden, which I coincidentally consider to be the coolest art gallery in Utah. Aside from teaching, painting, and studying art, I enjoy thrift shopping, reading 1970’s science fiction, and working on beautifying my little house with my husband.”

ARTIST STATEMENT
“I work within the genre of still life. I am interested in the cultural and personal connotations and associations that each of us has with objects. My work juxtaposes unrelated objects into repulsive or disconcerting combinations. The purpose is not to shock or disgust the viewer, but to disrupt normalcy in a way that encourages the consideration of the objects, their meanings, and the significance of the combinations. I am interested in how the simple combination and arrangement of objects can elicit a range of responses and questions from the viewer. What is natural, what is unnatural? What is human, what is animal? What is edible, what is inedible? What is attractive, what is repulsive? Ultimately I hope that the consideration of these questions sheds light on our social conventions and cultural beliefs to give us a greater understanding of ourselves and our perceptions of the world.”