August 22, 2003
Honoring the Artist: Michele Mott
Sag Harbor artist Michele Mott is a fortunate individual. She has always known that pursuing art was her life’s calling, and she has never wavered from that commitment. Ms. Mott says she owes it to both growing up on the East End and her mother’s encouragement.
“I always knew I wanted to be an artist,” Ms. Mott notes with resolve. “I’ve loved art since I was five. Maybe it was because of the influence of the artists’ community here; I remember once meeting de Kooning, and that memory stayed with me. If I had to grow up some place, fate brought me here. My mother encouraged me too. She took my passion seriously. It’s ironic, however, that I live by the sea and I don’t paint seascapes.”
What Ms. Mott does paint are landscapes, her passion for barns and farmland just as intense as her love for art. (This week’s cover, “Summer Splendor,” is an example.) According to the artist, this attraction is a long-standing one: “I’ve always liked barns that are old and have a rustic feel. Often they are seen in the distance, becoming like friends or little characters.”
Another irony is at play as well. Ms. Mott started painting barns when she lived in Massachusetts, not East Hampton, and landscapes were not the only subject matter she created. “ I started doing portraits when I attended Soutampton College, although I remember painting a portrait of my mother when I was thirteen,” she explains. “Transferring to Southampton College from an institution in North Carolina was the best thing I did.”
No matter what the subject matter, Ms. Mott employs a variety of techniques: “I use mainly oil paint on wood. This way it’s possible to remove something with an electric sander,” she says laughing a bit. “It can be shocking to see me use the sander. I also paint with watercolors and pencil, especially when I do commissions.”
Regarding style, however, Ms. Mott sticks to primarily one approach, realism, although she respects a variety of styles: “I love realism, looking beneath the surface; I’m very detailed. But I also admire Impressionism. It’s not what I do, but maybe I’ll get less tight in the future. I admire Van Gogh and Rembrandt too.”
Continuing with the idea that her own style might change, Ms. Mott notes with intensity that “I used to be really organized in my personal life; now I’m getting less so. Perhaps my painting will get less restrictive. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll just paint noses. An artist should be free. Whatever I do, I know I’ll follow my heart.”
-Marion Wolberg Weiss
Ms. Mott’s work can be seen at the Chrysalis Gallery in Southampton