Fine artist, Michelle Eggan, is known for her colorful modernist paintings and imaginative children's illustrations. She has created designs and art works for the walls of major children's hospitals, an award winning children's book and children's event promotion.
Michelle is presently exploring the intersection of shape, space and color through a series of gouache paintings and illustrations in her personal art practice. She also teaches individualized art sessions and is a mentor to a select group of artists, helping them in establishing a creative practice, growing their work and bringing it into the world. Looking forward, Michelle is excited to be leading a drawing club movement in her local community, helping others change and grow their art skills in new ways. She lives in the small town of St. Peter, Minnesota located just one hour south of Minneapolis in the beautiful Minnesota River Valley.
Artist
Michelle has been an artist her entire life, wildly and perpetually creative since a child. One of her best skill sets is her vivid imagination and ability to see possibility across a broad landscape. This combined with a distinct way of thinking, a perspective on the world at large allowing her to see patterns where others simply see complexity. The asking of "What if? and moving forward constructing creative concepts with beautiful clarity and a sense of wonder. You will find her creativity refreshing and truly nourishing whether an illustration, painting, visual design, styling story or a bit writing from her deepest inspiration.
Illustrator
Michelle's joyful characters and illustrations can be found in children's publishing, children's event promotion and pediatric hospitals and clinics. In 2015-2016 she provided artwork for acute care patient and treatment rooms in the expansion of the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford in Palo Alto, California. In 2010-2012, Michelle was also involved in a multi-year project with Minneapolis and St. Paul Children's Hospitals providing design and art work for patient rooms, exam rooms and corridors. Other pediatric health care environments where you can find her work include Health Partners and the University of Minnesota Fairview Health Systems. In addition, she has designed illustrations for children's event promotion including, a unique children's community literacy event in Carver County, "Hooked On Books".
Michelle's illustration projects also reflect her love of nature and flowers. In 2012 she created a series of floral surface designs called DAHLIAS for Art In Bloom at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The floral series can be found in packaging for a natural herbal soap collection she created in 2013, HEART AT PLAY BOTANICALS .
Author
As a children's illustrator Michelle has published two CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS with Dreamland Books. Faces, Who Are We?, her first book, a book that proudly celebrates the uniqueness of all children, won the 2011 Moonbeam Award for Best Picture Book, All Ages.
Later that year, she published a second book for Dreamland Books,12 Months of Baby Animals, a book which teaches counting skills as well as the months of the year. You will also find her ILLUSTRATIONS gracing the pages of a beautiful private legacy book in honor of one family's much loved pets, Hooray, For The Bach Pets!, published in 2013.
Clients:
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Palo Alto, CA . Minneapolis Children's Hospital, Minneapolis, MN . St. Paul Children's Hospital St. Paul, MN . Children's Hospital Foundation, Minneapolis . Health Partners, Minneapolis, MN . Aesthetics, San Diego, CA . Fairview Pediatric Hospital, Minneapolis, MN. Dorsey Hovde Art Design, Wayzata, MN . Dreamland Books, Minneapolis, MN, Moon Beam Award 2011. Marilyn Lee Bach, St. Paul, MN . Hooked On Books, Children's Literacy Program, Chaska, MN . Uptown Minnesota - St. Cro!x Promotions & Retail, Minneapolis, MN
Organizations:
Arts & Health Alliance, Midwest Arts in Health, Carver County Arts Consortium, Hooked On Books, Edge Of The Big Woods Art Wander, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Aldo Leopold Foundation, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, University Of Minnesota, Master Gardener Program, Garden Writers Association, Arts Center Of St. Peter