BienCreations.com - About BienCreations

Bien Creations is used to sell Michelle Bien's art and designs, and it is also used to showcase her writings. Michelle likes to explore the spiritual aspects of people, nature, society, and infrastructures through creative and contemplative processes. Most of her work is created as the inspiration comes to her. Rather than forcing sketches before painting, she prefers to start with a blank canvas and paint what comes to mind. While painting, she contemplates what she sees, and this further develops the painting, as if holding a conversation with the art-in-progress in order to discover something new. This metaphor can be applied to her other art as well - she sees a piece in her mind, gets to work on it, and alters it as she goes if it needs to be altered. Only with technical designs, such as the creation of an exact-measured sculpture or object, does she find it useful to create preliminary sketches.

Michelle creates work to shed light on that which already exists but has not yet been discovered or learned. The goal of creating "spirit art" is to contemplate life and find meaning as to how the entity realtes to other living things. Michelle is fascinated by the idea of attaining insight and knowledge through creative methods. She believes there is a connection between all things that unites us, and because of this connection, we can find all the answers to life's greatest questions by coming to understand the essence - the spirit - in all things.

Michelle's experience includes painting (oil, acrylic, and watercolor), drawing (ink, graphite, charcoal, markers, and colored pencils), metalwork, ceramics (glass, Earth clay, and polymer), photography (traditional, digital, and pinhole), fibers, printmaking (lithography), woodwork, bookmaking, and the digital arts.

Michelle recognizes the benefits and the necessity of living in harmony with the Earth, as well as the benefits of becoming self-sustainable. Therefore she is making the transition to only using 100% organic, bio-degradable, ecologically-friendly products, which include artmaking tools and supplies. Her first step has been learning about making her own paints using egg albumen, organic pigments, natural oils, and other natural materials.

This business started out as my work as a freelance artist. Hundredyearodyssey.com, my website, has showcased my art since 2004.

I have sold one of my works at an art fair (Emerging Artists booth); have had my works displayed in galleries and exhibitions in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Kalamazoo; have been hired to produce murals, permanent public sculptures, paintings for books, a book layout, illustrations for puzzles, and other smaller projects. My art has additionally been displayed in an art fair, and news and book publications, including the 2005-06 edition of the University of Michigan’s Michiganensian yearbook, Strut Magazine for Women, The Michigan Daily News, Empty Pockets (Volumes 2 and 3), and additional smaller publications. I have published one book titled A Hundred Year Odyssey, which is a compilation of my autobiographical comics, and is available for sale on lulu.com and amazon.com. I plan on publishing more books (novels, inspirational, children’s books, comic anthologies, poetry, and others) and making these books available both on my website and online at amazon.com, increasing my production of inspirational, and healing art, and art and products for the eco-conscious.

In addition to selling my own artwork, this business will also sell my creative services, including:

-Illustration or other 2-D/3-D commissions.
-In-the-moment photography (I capture you on film, naturally and un-posed, as you go about your life for an hour or a day or longer. See link for more info).
-Creating 100% organic, eco-friendly fashions for you to wear and accessories.
-Creating paintings, sculptures, and other art based on the messages I receive.

Michelle graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA from the University of Michigan in 2007. Shortly after establishing Duckduq Books in 2007, she self-published her first book, A Hundred Year Odyssey. Eventually, she plans to open a retreat center for contemplative learning and creative therapy with enough land to include several acres of gardens, sculptural landscapes, a library, and centers for the arts, meditation, and cultural practices. Some of Michelle's interests include: astronomy, earth science, humanities, philosophy, ancient and early world history, spiritual and religious studies, metaphysics, holistic practices, creating/experiencing the arts, and people.