Hi my name is Michelle, some of you may also know me as mjm! On this page I'd like to share a little bit of me with you!!

I am a North Yorkshire girl living in Oxfordshire now. I originally trained as a theatre designer following my studies at art college and enjoyed many happy years following this career. By default, over time, I fell into stage management and had an exciting few years touring the length and breadth of these fair isles. However time started to take its toll on me, waking up in different hotel rooms and all the travelling was exhausting (all that glitz and glamour of show biz!!!) so in spring 2007 I decided it was time to follow my heart and return to my arty roots. I had a wonderful life in the entertainment world, I met loads of great people, made some really good friends and definitely learned a lot and am still linked to it as a long suffering wife of a comedian!! (here I'll insert a gratuitous link to my hubbies web site!!!) but I was missing my creativity, now I'm loving the roller coaster that is my life getting messy, playing in my studio and remembering who I am!

I've always loved my art and am influenced a lot by colour. While getting back to my roots I found myself having to remember lots which I've enjoyed and have loved finding out about all the new stuff and techniques out there in the big artsy crafty world!!

I stumbled across scrap booking and really enjoy scrapping as an art form as it includes many elements: Journaling - I love using quotes as a starting point for my art. Texture - I like touchy feely art work with materials and embellishments. Photography - I enjoy capturing those moments in time and the everyday images that tweak my imagination. It's also been great for extending down the collage route and now I'm applying my past skills to it, transforming it into 3D and onto canvas. However I love to play with all styles and all mediums and explore all avenues hence the reason for the art tart, I can't stick to one thing!!!

Talking of the title.... the art tart!! Above is one explanation for the name the other is the wonderful illustration on my home page done by an artist called Julian Williams  whose cards I discovered in a shop in Worthing when I was at college. I love this image and for me the Picasso style mouse sums up art, she is a strange mistress who speaks to everyone differently and in many different guises!!

So thats me!

Hope you enjoy your visit and that you find some inspiration somewhere along the line!

I design for ....