Michelle Chrisman is an oil painter who lives to paint from life. Her passion is to chase the beauty and the seasons of New Mexico, “plein air” and “alla prima” (simply meaning outdoors and in one sitting). She approaches the figure similarly, spontaneous and juicy, giving a nod to the venerated San Francisco Bay Area Figurative painters with her aggressively graceful bravura. Chrisman's thick and lively color is forceful in its exuberance and is unmistakably her own. “Exploring the Visual World” will consist of both Chrisman's famous landscapes and her compelling figurative work. After being a long time resident of New York City and Albuquerque, she now lives in Taos, NM and teaches painting for the Taos Historic Museum and the Harwood Art Center in Albuquerque. She was featured in the June 2010 issue of Southwest Art Magazine in a feature article on Plein Air Painting for her fresh approach.