“I’m blessed to be able to exercise my creative impulses and express my feelings through my paintings. I love the inventive nature of my reverse painted panels and the surprise each piece reveals to me. I hope my work brings a smile to your face as it does mine. Cheers!” Gretchen Michaels ***** Gretchen Michaels' paintings are characterized by vibrant colors and textures. Her use of both broad, sweeping lines and delicate, intricate details give her work an expressive depth and dimension truly unique to the contemporary art world. Inspired by family, nature and ordinary objects of daily life, Gretchen's mission is to express her emotion and energy through her paintings. A corporate financial executive and CPA by day, Gretchen began showing her artwork in 2002; her true passion. She is a self taught artist that has created her own methods for reverse painting on acrylic panels. Gretchen began by painting on glass panels because she wanted to create industrial modern, contemporary art. After discovering the limitations of working with glass she researched plastics. She discovered acrylic panels, which look amazingly like glass, and began using them as her main painting canvas. The medium she employs is just as important a part of her artistic style as the paint itself. The integration of unexpected materials and the free floating effect of her framing style is characteristic of her work. The light reflection and shadowing cast by her framing method adds depth and complexity to each art piece.