Welcome to My Art, Poetry, and Writing Blog!
For info about Michelle’s art, poetry, and writing email her at: michellekogan@michellekogan.com
View more of Michelle’s art at her website http://www.michellekogan.com
My Drawing, Woman, Pink-spotted Hawk Moth & Moonflower, 2022, is featured in the fall exhibit:
Our Bodies, Our Health: Navigating the Wars Within and Around Us
October 13 – November 10. 2022
Koehnline Museum of Art
Oakton Community college
Des Plaines, Il
Happy Spring & Happy 2022 National Poetry Month!
FIND POETRY…
Poetry pops up
between spring’s
buds and blooms,
Sprouts
between teeny-tiny,
weather-worn crevices,
and crawls into your
imagination, seeking only
your inspiration…
© 2022 Michelle Kogan
My painting above is featured in the exhibit WATERCOLOR USA 2021, at the Springfield Art Museum, in Springfield, MO. The exhibit runs through August 29, 2021.
thinking about spring
in almost february,
dreaming about spring…
©2021 Michelle Kogan
There’s still time to see my painting, Summer Milkweed, oil on linen,in the exhibit: Plant Medicine: Multi-Species Wellness in a Global City, at the International Museum of Surgical Sciences, through November 3, 2019.
Chicago Young Women’s March, Polar Bears Protest, January © 2019 Michelle Kogan
Fall–Secure Democracy–Vote! Lady Liberty, Inktober © 2018, Michelle Kogan
Welcoming Spring …
A haiku to welcome winter …
savor warmth and light
throughout the new year,
illuminate all!
Slipping in this almost finished, WIP watercolor, pen and brush painting for the summer, before the summer slips away …
Welcoming spring in with a backyard tulip, that’s been opening for many days!
towering tulip
stands graciously, silhouette
of spring’s renewal!
©2017 Michelle Kogan
Winter snuck up on us here in Chicago . . . And Bear, birdie and I thought up this quick haiku to carry us through our winter months.
old man winter crept
up without a warning. quick
spread peace, joy and cheer!
© 2016 Michelle Kogan
A haiku and new painting Monarchs and Milkweed, welcome us to spring and carry us through summer.
milkweeds emerging
beckoning monarchs return
for spring and summer
© 2016 Michelle Kogan
Winter Greetings!
A tanka to welcome winter and carry us through till spring…
sparrow, why winter
here, when you might winter
wherever you choose?
city bird, city girl,
soar together till spring…
© 2015 Michelle Kogan
Things I like about winter: quiet, snow on trees and ledges, finding sparrows and hearing their song, critters determination, slowing down, introspection, stars, skies, moons, sunshine, winter sun, red and green leaves, berries and anything still growing in a midwestern winter…
Summer Greetings…
The gardens in Chicago are in their prime and producing great varieties of diversity.
An Illustration in honor of Spring, Critters, and the Aurora Borealis…
Happy Holidays!
These are a couple of holiday art images available as holiday gift cards in my online Etsy shop: Michelle Kogan Fine Art They are also available at the Evanston Art Center’s Winter Arts & Crafts EXPO. It runs through December 22, 2014, at 2603 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL for more info on the EXPO visit: http://www.evanstonartcenter.org
Cheers!
Just finished this painting in time for Spring… I started it earlier this year while sketching the figure with some of my students. It features two endangered species the Piping Plover and the Lycaeides Melissa Butterfly, both of which are endangered in Illinois. I’m hoping that some warmer temps will continue to visit the Chicago area.
We’re into the New Year now, almost the end of January, and here’s one of my work’s in progress. I started it a while back on the outside grounds of the Lincoln Park Conservatory, in Chicago. The pencil work is my preliminary drawing and it’s drawn in with watercolor pencils. At this point most of my sketch is in and I’ll work back and forth between the watercolor paints and the pencils, and I’ll see where it goes… Check out the finished painting in my March 6, 2014 post.
Happy Holidays!
Stop by my Etsy Shop for Nature inspired Holiday Cards, Paintings and Prints http://www.MichelleKoganFineArt.etsy.com
In the Chicago area you can view my paintings, prints and cards at
the Evanston Art Center’s Winter Arts & Crafts Expo, now through Dec. 22, 2013
2603 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, http://www.evanstonartcenter.org
I’ll be at the Evanston Expo on Dec. 15th, 2 – 4 pm & Dec. 16th, 10 – 12:00 noon
Cheers!
This watercolor illustration is called Cats and Spider, Looking. It’s part of a series of 5 illustrations that I’m presently working on.
I’m happy to invite you to my solo painting exhibit
Narratives of Nature Watercolors by Michelle Kogan
Opening July 13th through October 13, 2013
At The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Join me for a Galley Walk where I’ll discuss my work
July 18th, Thursday 11:00 am – 12 pm
October 5th, Saturday 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
I’m also offering a Plein Air Watercolor Class for Adults and Teens
It Starts: July 20, 2013 and runs for 4 Saturday mornings
Register for 2 or all 4 sessions
9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Museum Hours:
Monday – Friday 9 am – 5 pm; Saturday & Sunday 10 am– 5 pm
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
2430 North Cannon Drive, Chicago
Just of Lake Shore Drive at Fullerton
773-755-5100 http://www.naturemuseum.org
Please email me if you are interested in acquiring a painting or print:
mkogan@mdandmk.com
Michelle Kogan © Wildlife Comes to Lake Shore Drive, endangered species, 2013, watercolor and watercolor pencil,
40 x 26 inches, featured in Narratives of Nature Watercolors by Michelle Kogan.
I was asked to be the featured Illustrator in the Spotlight for January’s The Prairie Wind, the Newsletter of the Illinois Chapter of the SCBWI. My article is called Journey with an Illustrator, Painter and Writer, and below is one of the illustrations included with the article. Here’s a link to the article
http://www.scbwi-illinois.org/pub/PrairieWind
The Evanston Art Center is starting off the New Year with a Faculty Exhibition. Below is the painting I’ve included in the exhibit.
The Exhibit runs January 20th – February 10, 2013
With an Opening Reception Sunday January 20, 1 – 4 PM
Wintery weather is creeping up on us in Chicago, so I thought I’d share with you a sneak peek at a few New Holiday Cards coming next week to my Etsy Shop:
MichelleKoganFineArt.etsy.com
These are character pencil sketches for A picture book that I worked on for an
SCBWI-IL Illustrator’s workshop.
Happy New Year!
I started this illustration at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, it’s from their African Exhibit. I was with my SCBWI Illustrators group. We all spread out in different parts of the zoo, did some work and then came together again at lunch to look at each others art! It was a great art morning and the meerkats were super models! And so were the beautiful small blue birds…Later in the year, around November I dropped in the starry sky.
All art on this blog is © Michelle Kogan unless otherwise noted.
Michelle Kogan Illustration, Painting, & Writing 
Lovely work, makes me want to do watercolors.
Hi Judy, Thanks for taking a look, I have classes starting again in Sept., if you’re in the area.
Michelle,
I’m so glad to have found you on the web. I love the illusration of the giraffe and the goose in winter. It makes me wish I could write a children’s book, just to have you do the illustrations. I have no website, but if you go to my facebook page and check out the photo albums marked “Quilts” and “Quilts II” you will see some examples of the quilting work I havre done in the past five or six years. Be well. Allison
Hi Allison, Thanks for stopping by. Took a look at your quilts, Wow! Hope we can cross paths sometime soon, Michelle
Very nice work ! Nice seeing you in the city of new york.
Thanks for taking a look at my site!
Hi Michelle,
You have such a clear personal style of soft and gentle watercolors, very beautiful. I enjoyed my visit here 🙂 Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a note!
Pia
Thanks for taking a look! Hope to see more of your work too!
Michelle, Beautiful work. I will share your link on my facebook page. I have a number of friends that will be looking at your card shop. Jacquie http://jacquierhoades.blogspot.com/
Hi Jacquie, Thanks for stopping by my site and sharing a link to my page on FB! All the Best to you.
Your pictures are very sweet and dreamlike. They are very happy and magical. Beautiful works.
Hi Shelly thanks for your thoughts and taking a look at my work. All the best to you with your own art creations!
Hey I just joined the SCBWI in Chicago and would love to meet with other local illustrators! Can you let me know where we meet?
Hi, We meet the 2nd Saturday of the month at the Des Plaines Library. For more info check out the Chicago Illustrators network at the SCBWI Illinois site, there’s also other network info posted on this page: http://www.scbwi-illinois.org
Hello, I’m just letting you know I’ve nominated you for the Sunshine Award. Congratulations! 🙂
http://tipprblog.com/2013/04/24/sunshine-award/
a true artist, well done paintings.
You’re amazing!
Well, Thanks!!!
Wow, so much beauty all in one post! Really impressive work, thank you for sharing!
Hi Laura, Many thanks, and thanks for following, fellow bird lover!
My pleasure! 😀
Very good choices!
How very lovely. I’m so happy you stopped by friendlyfairytales, leading me to visit all this beauty!
And Thanks for stopping by here Brenda, glad your enjoying it!
Love your illustration on the Best of Today’s Little Ditty. Mine is the last poem in that, which is a delight to me every time I think of it. 🙂
Your poem “Seed For Thought” is beautiful, and a lovely way to close the anthology. I’ve been painting and drawing milkweed plants and butterflies for the last year and a half, in efforts to spread light on monarch butterflies. Thanks for your kindness poem!
I love the Monarch on the cover, too. It made me happy to see it there. I actually saw a Monarch this year for the first time in years. It’s progress. 🙂
Thanks Brenda, keep looking, you may find more!
Wow your drawings are amazing! Have any ideas on how to get better at drawing. These are great book illustrations. How do you work with scanning them and digitizing them. I’m looking for the basics.
Practice, drawing every day, thanks Myra.
Your illustrations are so wonderful dreamy and peaceful!
Thanks, and thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for sharing your gifts, and adding color and dreams to our days! I just nominated you for the Sunshine Blogger Award. 🙂 https://ardorsgarden.wordpress.com/2018/02/19/sunshine-blogger-award-2/
Thanks Laura, is there a time limit for this, I’m pretty swamped presently.
I don’t think there is a time limit and it is optional.
I love your images – the style of drawing, the colours and shapes. So much life and energy!
Thanks Ali! I just visited your beautiful blog-loved all your ideas on daydreaming.
so pretty
Just amazing – beautiful art and poetry. Thank you!
Thanks!