Artist Spotlight: Michal Shimoni

Michal Shimoni
Born in Israel 1960
Studied art in Israel and the U.S.
Artist and art teacher, facilitates online courses, private workshops and seminars around the world.

What or who inspired you to want to be an artist?

Since I was a little girl, I was sensitive to beauty, colors and in awe of nature.
 When I was fifteen, I remember wanting to freeze moments of joy and ecstasy, so I would paint them. This is what later drove me to go to art school. It was in me from a very young age. I was searching for a divine wonder, or perhaps I wanted to escape from this strange world of war and gray cities.

What was your creative journey that has brought you to where you are in your career today?

I started my official education in high school- “Wizo Tsarfat (France)” School. When I was 19 I continued to a higher art education at “Avni” high art school, then attended the Ramat Gan Art Academy with Fredi Fabian. I also studied art therapy at “HaMidrasha” art academy for two years, and started to look at art as a form of healing. At the age of 54, I founded my own art academy.

What do you need as an artist today?

Well, I could use a more stable income so I could paint more. I find myself teaching a lot and giving a lot, and I love it. But I have a dream of taking a few months off and dedicate that time just to painting, with no distractions.
  
My work these days is connected with mother earth and ancient cultures, especially matriarchal ones. I’m exploring painting, not through my head, it’s not conceptual art. My method allows the mystery in the canvas to reveal itself to me. This means that when I stand before the blank canvas, I have no plan. Through me, the painting creates itself.