A native of Colorado, Michelle Barnes graduated from Colorado State University. She soon moved to New York City to study illustration at the School of Visual Arts. Then she was off to Paris to work as a record designer. Soon after her return to NY, she began receiving commissions from numerous important publications.
Throughout the eighties, Michelle's strong interest in teaching led her to begin conducting workshops in Tokyo and Seoul, as well as teaching jobs at Parsons School of Design, The School of Visual Arts and The Art Center College of Design.
Michelle achieved worldwide acclaim for her 'The Visions of Vespertina' collaboration with Greg Spalenka. Her art accompanied their original music CD, and not only won awards, but launched a major record deal. She then went on to create a CD-ROM illustrating the Bible with an amazing 225 illustrations.
Michelle's work has now appeared in over 200 books, magazines and newspapers. A few clients include: Columbus Symphony, IBM, McGraw Hill, Harper Collins, Hyperion, Ms, Macy's, Henri Bendel, Grey Direct, Sports Illustrated, Mademoiselle, Time, The New York Times, Business Week, LA Times, and Boston Globe.
Her work is also in several private collections.
