Michelle Fillmore is a photorealistic contemporary artist who was born in Sacramento and raised in Las Vegas. Her passion for oil painting started when she was studying at the University of Las Vegas, where she obtained a BA in Painting and Drawing in 2015. Fillmore's paintings are known for being deeply personal, autobiographical, and using metaphorical imagery that explores themes of mental health, transformation, and imperfection.
As a painter, Fillmore combines photorealism with a technique that adds a surreal visual narrative to her work. Each of her compositions is a meticulous exploration of the human form, and the use of color and texture highlights the beauty of imperfection. This approach has earned her recognition as an artist who celebrates individuality.
Fillmore's work is an invitation to engage in a conversation about mental health and the stigma that surrounds it. By using her own experiences as a starting point, she creates powerful visual narratives that encourage viewers to confront their own beliefs and attitudes towards mental health. Her work is both accessible and challenging, and it is this duality that makes her an important voice in the contemporary art world.
Fillmore says of her creative process, “I paint the things I do partially as a way to take the parts of my past that once made me feel isolated and turn them into opportunities to connect.”
Now based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Fillmore’s work has been exhibited in galleries across the United States of America.
EXHIBITIONS
2022 SHOH Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2021 Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery,
Lafayette, CA
2020 de Young Museum, San
Francisco, CA
2020 Adele Gilani Art Gallery,
Sausalito, CA
2020 Kala Art Institute,
Berkeley, CA
2020 SHOH Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2019 SHOH Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2019 Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery,
Lafayette, CA
2018 Jennifer Perlmutter
Gallery, Lafayette, CA
2017 Art Attack SF, San
Francisco, CA
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 SHOH Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2020 SHOH Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2019 Adele Gilani Art Gallery,
Sausalito, CA