MORE THINGS by Michaela Rinaldi
On exhibition from the 6th of March until 30 March 2020.
Known for her boldness of stroke and colour, Michaela Rinaldi is a true colourist. Abstract - figurative can be used to describe her style. Brights often dominate. Elongated figures, alone and in groups, depict mood and suggestion. There are stories within stories, colour blocks, windows and doors. Figures running away and figures returning, standing tall and shrinking away…these are common themes running through Michaela’s work.
To know truth is to feel it. And the same applies to original creations. Michaela expresses mood directly from her gut onto canvas. Her craft is her voice. What you see in Michaela Rinaldi’s work is the journey and flavour of the human psyche. Yes, there is initial invitation of ardent colour, to feast your eyes in appreciation. But soon after this affect, allow your focus to deepen beyond the two-dimensional and into the essence of abandonment, isolation, dependencies and patterns that we all experience. Each painting grows. It transfixes you with its layers, connects you to your own.
Her work is always an expression of what she is feeling at the time. Titles are a clue to the story she experiences, however Michaela does not want to give you a detailed essay of her life, her hope is that the pieces will speak for themselves. That if you look further than the visual and connect with what feelings are evoked, the painting will take on a reflection of what the viewers experiences, perceptions and feelings are.
Artist Bio:
After too many years of denying the expression of her gift, Michaela finally succumbed to her truth. The worldly need for security could no longer maintain her promise of realising her dream. In 2010 she quit her job within the confines of corporate sales and days later bought her first canvas. Her journey from that day has been a turbulent one. Extreme and determined in nature, Michaela risked everything.
Realising her work was defiantly not commercially viable and that her market was small, Michaela avoided the temptation of large commissioned pieces that potentially could have settled months of debt. Instead she chose to stay true to her style and the work that flowed naturally. Yes she had found her purpose, but more than that, she was finding herself. Where truth means no compromise and worth is a place of relentless learning.
When asked what word describes her most, Michaela replies without hesitation… determined. She never gives up on what she believes in… this is a testament to her early success, not only locally, but internationally.
Self-taught, she plays with a number of media. Gold leaf and charcoal capture the essence of the works while Acrylics are her paint of choice. There is no formula or planning to her work, every creation is a surprise. There are days when a piece can take a matter of hours, and then days when the canvas is laden with layer upon layer of paint, the artwork can be revisited again and again over a matter of weeks …eventually a completed piece emerges.
‘GRATITUDE IS BEING ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THIS INCREDIBLE GIFT’
Michaela has completed numerous successful solo exhibitions in the Western Cape and South Africa over the years. Most notable recent shows were a series of exhibitions in Germany in 2018 and early 2019, which saw a sell out at the Vernissage on the opening evening of the first exhibition in Heldesheim. Internationally, Michaela's work is not only popular in Germany, but can also be found in homes in Russia, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, France, Australia, UK and many Americans states to name a few.
Michaela was nominated in 2018 as one of South Africa’s top five female contemporary artists. Her latest exhibition Other Things, at Ground Art Caffe in Febryary 2020 was a sell out show in the first week. MORE THINGS is a continuation of the exhibition with new artworks.
