Silicon Valley Open Studios

About J. Michelle Thomas

Jean Michelle Thomas has over 25 years of experience as a watercolorist. She finds inspiration in everyday things. The bark of a tree, the sunlight reflecting in the clouds and the smile on a child’s face are daily reminders of the beauty all around us. Her interest in the arts began as a way to cope with the profound sense of loss following the untimely death of her mother to cancer at a young age. “I learned to appreciate the simplistic beauty in everyday life.” It is this ability to find joy in the things that others take for granted that gives Thomas her artist’s-eye.
Her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts/Multiple Subjects and over 20 years of classroom teaching helps Thomas keep her youthful outlook on life. Thomas feels it is those daily interactions with children and the way they play in a sandbox, or squeal with delight at the touch of a puppy that stands as lessons that life is too short not to appreciate the small things. “Finding a bird’s feather, a colorful stone, or a sun-kissed leaf gives me a child-like excitement.” It is this optimistic passion for simple nature and the human spirit that Thomas hopes to share with others through her art.