Feature Friday: Michele Quigley
Michele Quigley’s images are pure magic—dreamy, elegant, and otherworldly, they manage to capture the timeless quality of historic portraiture in a thoroughly modern medium.
Michele shared that, for her, creating beautiful things has been a lifelong motivating force. “Creating in general has always just been part of who I am,” she explained. “It’s a compulsion. Something I am always thinking about. Much of it I never share with the world—it’s just part of my everyday life. That’s sounds pretty romantic written like that, but really, it’s just who I am.”
“I think a lot of people are that way actually,” she continued. “People will tell me they aren’t creative and yet I see them doing all sorts of creative things. It’s a mindset really, one that my mother taught me. She was always making something or finding a unique way to do something. Creativity is much broader than many people realize.”
It’s this broad sense of creativity that allows Michele to find inspiration in all things, in both conventional and unexpected sources. When asked about her inspiration, she replied, “Everything! Light, shadow, color. Nature, flowers, movies, books, textures. Art, oh I love art, especially the old masters. Conversations inspire me. Thoughts and ideas. Even obstacles inspire me.”
“Leonardo DaVinci said that ‘Art lives from constraints and dies from freedom,’ and I have found that to be so true,” Michele explained. “Creating on a deadline can certainly fire me up, but there has to be a balance too. I can get overwhelmed easily, so I do preplan. I have learned over the years what works for me and what doesn’t. As I get older I find myself preparing a lot more things ahead of time to help things go smoothly.”
While she creates in many different mediums, photography is where her heart truly lives. “Photography projects are my favorite,” Michele shared. "I have one I am currently working on that I’m very excited about. But then I always am. There's so much that goes into it. Setting the scene, choosing the props, making the costumes. I try hard to constrain myself to the things I already own and not buy more unless I absolutely can’t avoid it. It’s a challenge, but I find it motivating too. The 1790s Series has been so much fun and I’ll be introducing another genre soon, but it’s a secret for now.”
Through this work, she has created a beautiful series of portraits that both echo famous painting of the era, but also honor the beauty of each individual sitter. “I understand how vulnerable a portrait session can feel,” Michele explained. “ It‘s human nature to want to be seen. Not as an ego-driven need for validation and attention, but rather as a way to wholeheartedly participate in life, leave our mark and even inspire others to do the same.”
And for Michele, it is this desire to leave your own creative mark that drives her work. “I wholeheartedly embrace the phrase ‘Beauty will save the world’ (Dostoyevski),” she continued. “Art and creativity are essential to life. Capturing the beauty of costume, color and light in photographic fine art is my passion, but “beauty” is very individual. Not everyone resonates with my work and that’s OK. I love what I do.”
You can find more of Michele’s work on her website, michelequigley.com, and you can follow her on Instagram (@michelequigley) and Facebook for more inspiration.