Artist Bio
Michelle Irizarry Ortiz was born in Puerto Rico, a Caribbean Island full of color, history and inspiration. She is the daughter of an architect and during her childhood, her parents owned an art gallery in the city of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Inspiration was abundant and art materials were always at hand throughout her childhood. Starting at a young age, Michelle took art lessons in a variety of media.
Even with hiatuses along the way, Michelle pursued art throughout her life as a therapeutic and healing endeavor. Her work has evolved over the years and has included many different media such as oils, acrylics, watercolors, oil pastels and mixed media. In recent years, she has developed a fascination with the human figure and face. Her own children have become the subject of many of her paintings. Human suffering and overcoming adversity are also common themes in her artwork.
Being a hydrologist, she is especially sensitive to environmental causes and water is a common theme in a lot of her artwork. She is a climate and environmental activist who, together with her two daughters, has lobbied as a citizen for climate action and environmental protections in Washington, D.C. She volunteers for various national environmental organizations. With the purpose of educating the public on the plight of our environment and climate change topics, she has organized and curated local environmental art shows in the Central Florida area. One example is the online art show at the City of Casselberry called “Visions of our Environment” in December of 2020 (https://www.casselberry.org/gallery.aspx?AID=19) and an in-person art show at the Orlando Science Center during the summer of 2021 (http://miriza.com/blog/2021/5/20/earths-voice-an-environmental-art-exhibition-at-the-orlando-science-center). She maintains a blog on her art website where she writes about topics such as sustainability in the arts, the environment and climate change (http://miriza.com/blog).Her environmental art can be found at: http://miriza.com/#/environmental-art/
Michelle’s work has been described as colorful, introspective, profound and thought-provoking. Her work has been displayed at various galleries throughout Central Florida including Winter Garden’s SOBO Gallery, Osceola Arts in Kissimmee, City Arts Factory in Orlando, and the Orlando Museum of Art’s 1st Thursday art shows. She is a member of the Florida Watercolor Society.
Browse the different galleries and feel free to use the contact form to request more information.
Education
Self-taught artist.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Awards
“Capilla del Cristo II” - First place “Fine Art Under Glass” category, Wellington Art Society Annual Juried Spring Exhibition (2007)
“Accordion Player” - First place, Martin F./Weber Summer Facebook Art Contest (2013)
“Mangoes” - First place “Associate” category, Oil Pastel Society Online Art Show “Journey 2013” (2013)
“Lost” - Second place, 2nd Annual Lifestyle Magazine Art Contest (2016)
“Drowning in Thoughts” - Honorable Mention, Women in the Arts Competition, Orlando, FL (2017)
“Where Will the Children Play?” – Best in Show, Volo Foundation’s Climate Correction art show (2022)
“Sandhill Cranes” – Best in Show, Orlando Museum of Art’s 1st Thursdays “Florida Grown” art show (2022)
Underwater Whispers - Top 3 Winner, Green for All, A Future to Fight for Art Contest (2017)
Mini Frida - Award of Distinction, Osceola Arts Historias Art Show (2017)
Publications
Featured artist in the 2014 Fredrix catalog
Serene - cover of Jerry’s Artarama Summer (June 2016) catalog
Environmental artwork featured by The Marjorie: https://themarjorie.org/2018/05/27/floridas-environment-5-moms-giving-back/
Environmental artwork featured by Artists and Climate Change and the Art House segment of Citizens Climate Radio: https://artistsandclimatechange.com/2019/05/02/painter-michelle-irizarry-allows-her-art-to-evolve-with-her-growing-understanding-of-climate-change/
First artist featured by United Climate Artists, a Climate Reality Working Group: https://unitedclimateartists.org/tca-miriza/Featured in Orlando Voyager Magazine: http://orlandovoyager.com/interview/meet-michelle-irizarry-east-orlando/
Collections
Private collectors in United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Europe and New Zealand.
“Greta’s Hope”
Greta hopes that we can save our Earth for all the wonderful creatures like the moose from her native Sweden to the children that are just being born.
Acrylics on canvas 40”x30”
“Sandhill Cranes”
I see them everywhere in my community with their baby chicks on tow. They’re elegant creatures and we must protect them.
Acrylic on canvas 36”x36”
“Great Blue Herons”
I always see a male at the lake in front of my community. Much more common in south Florida. I miss them.
Acrylic on canvas 36”x36”
“Underwater Whispers”
When you are about to give up, but you keep going and are finally glad you survived.
Oil on canvas 24”x30”
“Wekiva Springs”
Our Florida springs are suffering due to drought, re-routing of streams, sea level rise and pollution. We must protect them so future generations can enjoy them.
Oil on canvas 24”x18”
“One with Nature”
We mustn’t forget that everything we do to nature we do to ourselves.
Acrylic on canvas 16”x20”
“Where will the Children Play?”
As a scientist mom, I wonder what my kids and grandkids futures will hold.
Oil on canvas 40”x30”