Michèle Manning

Strawberry Creek Design Center
1250 Addison Street, Studio 211B
Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 644-2240

As an impressionist, I’m fascinated with the qualities of light and the way it glorifies objects. Even in landscapes, my work tends to be figurative as I play with the color in reflections and shadows of architecture, grapevines, fountains, etc. I prefer a character study to the long view. I search the Bay Area and France for images that excite me, taking my own reference photos and sometimes doing location studies. My trip to France in 2001 was especially inspiring. And I am now looking at San Francisco and the Bay Area with new eyes.  In my beautiful studio in Berkeley I draw freehand in charcoal on colored paper and finish in soft pastel. The brilliant colors, lively texture and ease of application of this medium allow me to create a surface energy which captures the vibrancy of the City and nature. My goal is simply to express the beauty I see all around me in a direct and truthful manner and to enjoy the process. I do commissioned portraits of adults, children, pets, homes and travels (from photographs ­ yours or mine, color or B&W). Please check out my web site for examples. And if original work is not in your budget today, please consider the limited-editions I offer. These include my economical signed color copies on acid-free paper and my highest quality Giclée Fine Art Prints on watercolor paper or canvas, and enjoy the fruit of my joyful labor.

Selected Exhibitions:

Borsini-Burr Galleries 235 Main Street @ Hwy 92 • Half Moon Bay, CA (present).

Jessel Gallery, Napa 1995 ­ 1998, 2002- present

Louis Aronow Gallery ­ 522 Sutter Street, SF and 686 Bridgeway, Sausalito (2001 - present) Call first.

Sausalito Art Festival, 1999 thru 2004

Citron and A Cote restaurants in Oakland (present)

Tango Gelato, SF (solo) June thru September 2004

Albatross Pub, Berkeley (solo) Feb, Mar, 2004

Alliance Francaise of San Francisco ­ (solo) July, 2003

Art Concepts, Walnut Creek (solo) 1998, 1999, 2003

Shenson Memorial Gallery, St. Francis Memorial Hospital ­ ( solo) 2003

San Francisco Arts Festival ­ Oct , 2001

California Pacific Medical Center, (solo) 2001 (Jan. ­ Mar.)

Pastel Society of the West Coast - several awards

Freelance Illustrator 1984 -1999

Pro Arts Open Studios, & Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios, yearly


Selected Collections:

Hilton on Fisherman’s Wharf, SF (originals in lobby, reproductions in rooms)
San Francisco Hilton (original in lobby, reproductions in rooms)
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)
Pacific Bell
Marriott, SF
(Judge Kenneth Burr, Dr. Jerry Bellen, Tom Frankovich and many other private collections)

BFA in Illustration, Academy of Art College, San Francisco, 1983, with distinction

Color workshops with Henry Henche of Provincetown, MA

Pastel Society of the West Coast ­ Signature Member, several awards

Portal Publications- Featured Artist, January 2005 Catalog