Today we’d like to introduce you to Michele Blackledge.
Hi Michele, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I honestly never thought I could paint anything that another individual would want to buy. I didn’t take art classes throughout my life but I had always wanted to try painting to expand my creativity. Late 2021, I started having moments of intense depression, worse than I had ever had. I have dealt with. I had dealt with depression for a majority of my life due to many different situations that occurred that I did not deal with properly at the time. During this really dark period in 2021, there were days when I did not want to get out of bed at all and would cry or get angry at the smallest thing. I knew I needed to do something but with the insurance I had at the time, I would not be able to afford visits to a therapist.
One day, I was at five below and decided to buy a two-pack of 8×10 canvases for five dollars and a packet of small acrylic paint tubes to see if painting could assist me in getting back to feeling normal again. Those items sat in their packaging for about a month until one day I was having some extremely intense emotions that I needed to get out somehow. Since I had never taken classes in painting, a paintbrush was somewhat intimidating but I knew I needed to get these feelings out ASAP.
As I sat at the kitchen table staring at my canvas and paints, I saw a box of Hill Country Fare plastic forks from HEB. I grabbed one, put some paint onto my canvas and just started scratching the paint around the canvas, wherever my hand would go. I immediately felt some peace. This is how painting with my plastic fork started. To this day, if I have intense emotions that do not seem healthy, I will paint in this manner.
One day, I had a friend tell me that she liked my paintings and asked me if I would sell her a piece. I was reluctant at first because these paintings were a way for me to face my thoughts and feelings. I was forced to look at what I was feeling at the time and since it was my reminder to keep going, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to sell. As time went on, I starting feeling as though I was coping with my depression in a healthy manner and got back to the person I wanted to be.
This is when I started taking commissions that were more detailed paintings. Today, I paint more requests and other detailed items that I feel would look good on canvas using my plastic forks. This helps me stay balanced and I have less and less bad days due to my handy plastic fork and acrylic paints. I have even had Nick Offerman comment on a painting I did of Ron Sawnson, Chris Hemsworth has liked a painting I did of Thor that I posted on Twitter, and George Lowe, the voice actor for Space Ghost has commented on how he loved the painting I did of Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
There are times when my head tells me that I am not good enough to continue these paintings and that I should just give up. I am at the point now where I can ignore those thoughts and keep doing what I’m doing. I want anyone reading this that it is completely ok to not be ok. There are many options out there, other than speaking to a therapist, that can help you get back to that person you want to be. You are not alone as there are others out here that have experienced something very similar to what you may be going through. Art therapy and a plastic fork helped me pull through that darkness I was dwelling in for so long.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I was 18, my dad shot himself in the head after locking himself in my parent’s bedroom, while we were all sitting in the living room waiting for Sunday spaghetti to finish cooking. I bottled everything up because I felt like I needed to be strong to help my mom and younger brother cope. I still struggle to this day with that event.
In 2006, my older brother was diagnosed with Lymphoma in July and by September, he was gone. I miss him every day.
In 2010, I was 7 months pregnant and had a miscarriage. The placenta has separated from the wall of the uterus which cut off oxygen to Parker. I had to give birth to my still born child.
I have lost many friends to suicide, drug overdoes, and motorcycle accidents throughout the years.
These events have piled up over the years and I never handled the situation properly. I would drink to forget rather than figure out how to get through the pain in a healthy way.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in paintings. I use acrylic paints and a plastic fork to paint with. I paint on anything canvas, (stretched canvas, canvas zipper bags, canvas reusable shopping bags)
Right now I am most proud of being able to use this as a way to get myself mentally healthy. A few celebrities have commented on some of my paintings which I think is pretty rad.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Since lockdown, I have spent more time at home and figured out ways to deal with things differently than I would have pre-Covid.
Pricing:
- 6×6 canvas $50
- 8X8 canvas $60
- 10×10 canvas $70
- 11×14 canvas $80
- Reusable shopping bags $40
Contact Info:
- Website: www.etsy.com/forkitupartwork
- Instagram: @fork_it_up_artwork
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forkitupartwork
- Twitter: @MichieB79
