Episode 51 - Michele Landel

Today I’m thrilled to introduce you to Michele Landel, an American textile artist who lives and works in Sèvres, France. We actually met two years ago during Christmas when she and her husband, Greg, were vacationing in his parents’ Miami apartment — which, by coincidence, happens to be in my condo building. When Greg’s mother learned that my husband, Eliot, and I are art collectors, she said, “You have to meet Michele!”

A few days later, Michele called. We were entertaining some artist friends, so she and Greg came over — and we instantly hit it off. We talked for hours, though funny enough, I never really asked much about her art. I was more fascinated by how an American woman ended up living and working in France. Then, a few weeks ago, I came across her work on Instagram — and I was blown away. It’s absolutely stunning.

Michele’s art has been exhibited all over Europe, the UK, and the U.S., and her work appears in The Collage Ideas Book from Ilex Press. She creates these hauntingly beautiful patchwork paintings using photography and thread. Whether her embroidered bedsheets are draped or flat, they explore the tension between looking and being looked at — that delicate power dynamic we all feel. Through her stitches, she reimagines figures, flowers, and domestic spaces, layering them with themes of loss, memory, and desire. Her use of mirroring and shadow gives her work a haunting self-awareness — like a glimpse into the soul behind the surface.

You can see Michele’s work in a group show at Gallery Amelie du Chalard in New York City from January 24th through February 14th, and at Donna Seager Fine Arts in San Rafael, California, from October 25th through December 31st.

Visit michelelandel.com and follow her on Instagram @michelelandel.