By Michelle Stackmann

Our eyes are naturally drawn to beautiful things, but there is more to beauty than the object of our attention. The people that create these beautiful things are around us and can be found in diverse places. By portraying different artists from the Triangle area, each in their work environment, I want to defy the stereotypes of what artists look like and of the places they work in. Meeting these artists, who range from a student violinist to a retired Law professor, opened my eyes to how no matter the career or age, there is an engraved love for beauty within all of us. It amazes me that as human beings, we have the capability of metaphorical and transcendental thinking. Beauty and art inspire these kinds of thoughts. As humans, we possess the gift of being able to move and be moved by art. Influenced by my love of art and portraiture, I decided to center my work on exploring different places and meeting different people to give the viewer a macroscopic view of how artists live around the Triangle area. With this project, I want people to open their eyes to the beauty around us and to the makers of beauty – we are everywhere!