Michelle Renee was raised in the Cliff/Gila valley by an artist/musician mother and a ranching/miner father. She began playing piano at the age of three, when her older twin brothers went to school. The hours felt long, as she is the youngest of eight children, and Michelle found comfort and companionship within music, writing, dance, and art. Guitar became another interest her senior year of high school and has continued to be a lifelong passion in addition to her love of piano.

She is self-taught in most regards, and attributes her artistic/musical knowledge to her mother, her childhood and high school teachers, artist friends she has met on this journey of life, and the internet; most especially YouTube. She works with a variety of mediums including, but not limited to: pencil portraits, acrylic paint, oil paint, alcohol ink on ceramic tiles, paper quilling, oil/soft pastels, as well as clay. She enjoys exploring new ways of expressing herself, and finds tremendous purpose in helping others rediscover their creative abilities.

While her children attended school in Animas, New Mexico, Michelle began working as a Pre-K assistant. She had avoided "teaching" her entire life, firmly believing she would find it deplorable. However, the hours and location made the job ideal, and she loves children, so decided to take the position. Working in the classroom gave her the shocking realization that she not only enjoyed working with the children but the teaching environment as well.

The following year she was given the position of art teacher and taught grades Pre-K through Middle School. She continued that position the following year, but found a desire to expand her student body to include adults. She also wanted to explore outside the school infrastructure, so she obtained a business license and begin traveling and holding art workshops around the southwestern part of the state, offering classes for people of all ages and skill levels.

When Covid hit, traveling became an impossibility, forcing the workshops to end. However, during the past several years, Michelle has been focusing her creative energy on renovating a school bus into a home that will also serve as a mobile gallery/studio. It is her hope that with things opening up, she will be able to begin traveling and hosting workshops once more.

Michelle Renee is the mother of two children, a son and daughter and continues to reside in southwestern New Mexico. She is a member of the Agave artist's collective and currently has an exhibit at Agave Gallery in Mesilla, New Mexico as well as art on display at Sol Dispensary and lounge in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

You can find her online at Instagram @ pepperdoll_industries or Facebook @ Pepperdoll Industries.

Michelle Hobbs