Testimonials

Tholen’s landscapes are timeless riffs that almost abstract the horizon – a mix between reflection and refraction. In Walden, Henry David Thoreau waxes eloquent about the lure of nature, including the inspiration he got from light … It’s that sort of natural light that Michelle Tholen captures in her paintings, a light that inspires even as it is presented without sentiment.

Her work speaks to the deep connection between sky and physical earth, as in Smooth River, where a winding waterway is bathed in the falling sun that peeks from above. The division of sky and ground give Tholen’s landscape paintings an ethereal feeling and a balanced symmetry.

Read the full article here.

“Tholen departed her first career as an accountant to explore and nurture her creative desires. She is self-taught and has drawn inspiration from modern artists such as Rothko and Pollock to create her own style.” 

Saw your work at Gumps and really liked it.

“Variations on a theme — simple, clean form; elegance in color; changing light and perspective; all elements engaging you as you absorb the range of the collection.” – Piedmont Center for the Arts.

Ethereal abstract landscape by local artist Michelle Tholen.

Color and Form featured in LUXE Interiors and Design Magazine

Michelle Tholen brings out the ethereal and evokes a sense of place, real or imagined, playing with contrast and emotion without fussing or overworking her pieces.  Michelle’s pieces are created to bring form to her inner world. Read the full interview here.

Acclaimed San Francisco artist Michelle Tholen is a master at creating lush tonal views of Northern California filtered through soft light.

When I learned that she was an accountant before becoming an artist, I was blown away. I can only imagine what guts it took on her part and the self-awareness that she had to follow what fulfilled her. Her showings absolutely pack a place.

From the get-go, we wanted to use a neutral palate to allow the space breathing room and to provide a backdrop for their growing collection of art.  We went with a black, white, and gray palette that is easy to live with and can look good with pops of color in the art pieces.

Featured in California Home & Design and Jonathan Rachman Design.  To compliment the master bedroom’s stunning view, Rachman kept it simple. Reflective dark wood on the headboard (custom designed by the designer) and a stormy-gray throw are a beautiful counterpart to scenes of San Francisco’s notoriously fickle fog.  Read article here.

The clean and balanced composition of Tholen’s  art reflects on the art of Rothko and Pollock in a style of its own. From abstract lines and landscapes to crisp color block paintings, Tholen has a strong control over the architecture that forms her work.  Read full article here.

The artist creates a lure of light in color suggesting more than color and light found in the spiritual that illumines, fills and enlivens.

Thank you again so much! We love it.

Thank you very much for the wonderful work. It looks amazing. I really like the vivid colour of the orange contracted with subtle, sombre blue and gold. I thought it may be too many colours but you did a great job of coordinating them and not making it crowded. – Ms. Chung

I was in Ruby Living in Mill Valley today and saw some of your artwork. I immediately loved it.

I love it! That’s what it needed. It has a transparency to it even though it is a fairly deep color saturation.

I absolutely love the piece. The more I look at it the more I love it.

Gallery Architect Craig Steely’s Modern Vision Revives a Humble 1908 Edwardian in Bernal Heights.  See gallery here.

The painting arrived today and I absolutely love it! The colors could not be more perfect for the space and I’m so excited to display this beautiful piece of art in my home.

The clean and balanced composition of Tholen’s art reflects on the art of Rothko and Pollock in a style of its own. From abstract lines and landscapes to crisp color block paintings, Tholen has a strong control over the architecture that forms her work.

Tholen’s inspiration is drawn from the landscapes in Northern California. The sustenance of stunning mist laden rivers, lakes, and waterways infused with atmosphere and sense of tranquility. Searching for what she loves and trying to capture its essence by showing how interesting that moment. Hopeful in feeling, they suggest real and imagined, material and ethereal, familiar and foreign places.

Tholen’s landscapes suggest real and imagined, familiar and foreign places that reveal depth, drive imagination and create mystery.