Black and white illustration of a person standing and a large question mark in the background.

Artist Michel Van Devender standing outdoors next to a large window with reflections of trees outside. She is wearing a fur coat and a necklace with a cross. The scene is in black and white.

Hi, I’m Michel. I’m an artist and a trained psychotherapist.

My work sits between art and inner life. I make mixed media paintings and collages through a layered, intuitive process—imperfect, shifting and often unclear at the beginning. I’m usually following something rather than directing it, letting the work evolve until it becomes what it needs to be.

I grew up around people who made things and that shaped how I understand both making and living—layering, reworking and sitting with uncertainty are part of how I approach my work now.

I also write, and I’m always learning and experimenting. All of it feels connected, even when it doesn’t look that way.

My background in psychotherapy informs how I see people and experience the world. I’m interested in complexity, nuance and the space between certainty and uncertainty.

Creativity is how I process and make meaning. It’s where I stay connected to myself and where I find a sense of freedom from old patterns and expectations.

I work across original paintings, mixed media works, prints and studio objects.

xx,
Michel