Spotlight on Michelle Forsyth
Meet Michelle Forsyth, an assistant professor in the Department of Fine Arts at WSU who teaches painting, drawing and digital media.
In her art, Michelle explores the human experience in the computer age. She transforms digital images by using paint, fabric, and paper to create thousands of handmade “pixels.” The result is something original—far from perfect and distinctly human. Her artwork has been shown in exhibits and galleries across the United States and Canada. Michelle is a native of Vancouver, B.C. and lived in New York City before moving to Pullman.
Where does your art come from?
I grew up on a boat, which influenced my work. There wasn’t much space so everything needed to be highly organized. I couldn’t keep anything out. My work is all about structure and organization. When I was a kid, I made these very intricate mazes. I think the kind of work I do now started there.
Does it take you a long time to create your art?
So much of my artwork requires very detailed, repetitive hand work. For example, I have a series of pieces called Flowers for Iraq, which depict victims of war, but it does this through lots of small circles of paper and fabric—these are what I call the “flowers.” To make them, I cut out about 20,000 little circles by hand. While I do this kind of work, I like to listen to podcasts of books and radio shows, so it’s time when I do a lot of thinking. But it’s this painstaking process that’s important. I think of my work as memorials to victims of violence and the practice of making them as grieving.
What does your art mean?
I want people who look at my work to linger there, to spend as much time as possible taking in the image. We’re so used to digital images where you see something and then move on to the next image. The fact that I’ve spent so much time hand-making these images, I think, forces people to slow down and try to figure out what they’re seeing.
How was the transition from NYC to Pullman?
I live in an apartment on Main Street above shops and restaurants, so I feel like I’m in a city. But the fact that it’s not a big city means I have more time for my art studio. It allows me to focus. I still love fashion and shoes, but I do most of my shopping on the Internet. I love Zappos.com.
What are some of your favorite things to do in Pullman?
I love to ride my bike on the path between Pullman and Moscow, and I work out at the Student Recreation Center. I also like to hike in some of our local state parks like Kamiak Butte. Every Sunday, I buy the New York Times from Starbucks. My idea of a perfect Sunday is to spend all day reading the paper.
