The Equilibrium Of Senses

“The fluid grace of nature and its infinite interpretations is my inspiration.”

In 2010, I discovered the art of Michelle “Shell” Rummel, and connected with her via Twitter and Facebook. I was mesmerized equally by her work and her generous nature, and spent quite some time revisiting her paintings, words and photography.

Only later I found out there is a Shell Artistree brand almost solely built on her work. She considers herself “to be a creative visionary with an authentic entrepreneurial spirit…a true blend of art and business acumen.” It doesn’t happen too often that artists also create a successful business with their work but I sensed there was something else in Shell’s work that by far transcends artistic expression.

In the last years I met quite some artists who share an undying compassion for storytelling with both words and images, and whose creations are important to me because of this powerful connection between language and visual creativity. Now I share my thoughts on these artists and their work with a series of features. The fist one shall be dedicated to Shell.

Shell’s patterns and lines seem to be free of purpose and direction. Often they are alive, making my mind move beyond deliberate exploration. I find myself letting go of words and thoughts, trying to feel the intuition that may have made those shapes possible.

When I first saw one of Shell’s watercolour paintings, Dig Deeper, I was immediately drawn into the matrix of movements and depths. I followed those lines and patterns, at some point focusing on one area only. Eventually I noticed more images, maybe my own, suspending the planarity of the painting. Much of Shell’s art carries, without pretence, an evocative power of suggestion and simplicity that allows me to look and see in my own ways, and in my own time.

“You’ll never truly know what lies within layers,
Unless you’re willing to get your hands dirty.
Dig Deeper….
It’s all yours to discover.”

Like Dig Deeper, Shell’s artworks are multi-dimensional, sparking off visions and memories of different times and places. Left with my emotions, I discover layer after layer – without pondering the artist’s intentions. It is an experience close to meditation and, quite simply, easy to get lost there… wherever I’m taken.

In Above The Abyss, the facets are quite visible – but not obvious. They are actually levels rather than layers, forming a structure with a wealth of possible perspectives. There’s both serenity and arduousness, but the final view inspires no matter where I stand.

In much of Shell’s work I find, in some ways, a weightless tension between the joy and the less joyful moments of life. In her paintings, she tells stories that are often mesmerizing, however many of few words she uses, if any.

Shine On caught me outright. With both painting and poem, Shell moves “soul stones”, visually and verbally. Seeing and reading, I remembered the sad yet sublime euphoria I felt when I read Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness Of Being (1982/84). If there is some kind of tender, inconspicuous wisdom, I find it time and again in Shell’s work.

“…Mind if I sit for a moment
Catch my breath
Before skipping my soul stones
Heartbeat hopscotch
Towards waters edge.”

Lines rarely begin or end, and if there are parallel planes we can walk between, Shell has a unique way of making transience beautiful. To me, Linked Eternal is a spiritual piece about an antagonism we rather feel than know about. Much like M.C Escher’s ‘mathematical art’, Shell creates emotional impossibilities and resolves them in one and the same moment.

Somehow uncoupled from time, I see stories in Shell’s work that engage all senses, both physically and in terms of transcending them. In the end, those stories are visions, indefinite but fascinating, and this is where Shell’s “fluid grace of nature” becomes infinite. She creates a new world, in small but striking doses.

“And with a delicate grace you let go…
Fall away from limb,
Lithe, languid.
Hush….
Floating on breath,
Free falling fearlessly.
Have faith….
The winds of chance will carry you along.”

The Winds Of Chance is one of my favourites of Shell’s work. In this day and age, letting go can require an effort, but it seems effortless once it’s done. In a mesmerizing way, Shell plays with complexity and simplicity, creating an equilibrium I find encouraging and inspiring. There is a wondrous sense of selflessness in her work, not at all an artist without face but one who is a medium rather than a creator.

The connection between subliminal, ever changing messages and a very life-affirming vibe makes Shell’s art, poetry and not least photography more than just unique. Her work conveys an unpretentious kind of spirituality, and a remarkable sense of wonder.