STELLA MICHAELS
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    • Pop Movements Collection
    • Houses of the Holy Collection
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  • ​The Houses of the Holy collection is an exploration on memory, place, and identity, where past and present converge to transform our perception of history and art. The artist invites, “If you use your eyes, you can hear the delicate rhythm of the misty memories of days gone by,” urging viewers to attune themselves to the subtle echoes of time, reimagined through color and texture. Since 2011, this ongoing exploration has probed the complex relationship between form and perception. On the raw canvas, color, shape, and texture intertwine, creating multidimensional compositions that are both fluid and precise. These works pulse with a visual music—soft rhythms, fleeting flutters, and driving beats—that reverberate beyond the surface. Houses is more than a collection; it is an invitation to engage with the invisible threads that bind us to the past. It challenges our perceptions of memory, history, & time, urging the viewer to explore art not just visually, but on a deeper, more introspective level.

Houses of the Holy XXII ©2025

62 x 48 inches ( 157.48 x 121.92 cm)

Enamel Acrylic on Canvas

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Houses of the Holy VII ©2015, 2016

75.5 x 63.5 inches (191.77 x 161.29 cm) (Stretched)


Enamel and Acrylic on Canvas


Houses of the Holy VII is a striking addition to a remarkable series that began in 2011. Completed in 2016, this body of work reflects Michaels' ongoing exploration of color, shape, and texture, pushed to their limits on raw canvas. Through years of experimentation, the artist has achieved a multidimensional quality that is at once freeform and precisely crafted, creating a unique dialogue between chaos and control. The work pulses with an energy that recalls music—its forms and layers evoking rhythm, melody, and the play of sound in visual form.


The artist whispers, “If you use your eyes, you can hear the delicate rhythm of the misty memories of days gone by.” In this way, the canvas transforms into a living thing, inviting the viewer to listen—to hear the resonant echoes of people, places, and moments frozen in time, but not forgotten. The “Houses of the Holy” series is more than a collection of images; it is an invitation to engage with the intangible: the emotions, the memories, the echoes of what once was, and what still endures. These works capture the perpetual energy of the sacred—those people, places, and objects that hold deep significance, some still here, some fading into history, but all revered and deserving of remembrance.


Each piece is a vessel, holding the intangible and making it visible: a quiet yet powerful tribute to what is eternal in the human experience—the beautiful, the powerful, and the most sacred.

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CB Series No. II of XXII ©2025

12x 12 inches (30.48cm x 30.48cm)

Mixed media on cardboard


CB No. II, part of a 22 piece collection, transforms raw, repurposed cardboard into a layered exploration of movement, material, and meaning. Earthy ochres, deep browns, and muted greens form a textured foundation, disrupted by sweeping black gestures, fluid drips, and sharp bursts of white, blue, and red. Beneath the layers of paint and movement, the CB Series traces a narrative of transformation—finding new purpose. Each surface bearing the silence and through mediative intervention and instinctive gestures, it is reshaping, its history absorbed into a new visual language. The inspiration of raw material and expressive form reflects the tension between permanence and impermanence, chaos and intent. Bound by texture and time, each work stands independently yet remains harmoniously tethered to the greater whole—a fragmented story unfolding through abstraction.

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Houses, Behind the Mask No. II ©2024

16.5 x 17 inches (41.91 x 43.18 cm) (Stretched)


Enamel Gold Acrylic on Canvas


"This is not a painting to fill a wall.

This is the moment you see yourself —

with the mask off,

and the light still holding you."


Houses, Behind the Mask No. II is a convergence of texture, movement, and celestial symbolism, evoking a sense of mystery and transcendence. The composition is layered with deep, moody blues and stark whites, creating an ethereal landscape—both familiar and abstract. A golden arc encircles a muted, dreamlike core, hinting at the cyclical nature of time, energy, and renewal. The vertical streaks, reminiscent of dripping ink or cascading rain, add to the raw emotional depth, grounding the piece in both fluidity and structure.


This painting speaks to the impermanence of the moment—how elements dissolve and reassemble, forming new narratives with each glance. It is a meditation on contrast: strength and fragility, control and surrender, presence and absence.

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Houses of the Holy XXI ©2024 (Sold)

62 x 48 inches (157.48 x 121.92 cm)

Enamel Acrylic on Canvas


“Houses of the Holy XXI” is a striking addition to a remarkable series that began in 2011. Completed in 2024, this body of work reflects Michaels' ongoing exploration of color, shape, and texture, pushed to their limits on raw canvas. Through years of experimentation, the artist has achieved a multidimensional quality that is at once freeform and precisely crafted, creating a unique dialogue between chaos and control. The work pulses with an energy that recalls music—its forms and layers evoking rhythm, melody, and the play of sound in visual form.


The artist whispers, “If you use your eyes, you can hear the delicate rhythm of the misty memories of days gone by.” In this way, the canvas transforms into a living thing, inviting the viewer to listen—to hear the resonant echoes of people, places, and moments frozen in time, but not forgotten. The “Houses of the Holy” series is more than a collection of images; it is an invitation to engage with the intangible: the emotions, the memories, the echoes of what once was, and what still endures. These works capture the perpetual energy of the sacred—those people, places, and objects that hold deep significance, some still here, some fading into history, but all revered and deserving of remembrance.


Each piece is a vessel, holding the intangible and making it visible: a quiet yet powerful tribute to what is eternal in the human experience—the beautiful, the powerful, and the most sacred.

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Houses of the Holy XIX ©2024

62 ⅝ x 60 ½ inches (159.06 x 153.67 cm) (Stretched) 


Enamel Acrylic on Canvas


Houses of the Holy XIX is a striking addition to a remarkable series that began in 2011. Completed in 2024, this body of work reflects Michaels' ongoing exploration of color, shape, and texture, pushed to their limits on raw canvas. Through years of experimentation, the artist has achieved a multidimensional quality that is at once freeform and precisely crafted, creating a unique dialogue between chaos and control. The work pulses with an energy that recalls music—its forms and layers evoking rhythm, melody, and the play of sound in visual form.


The artist whispers, “If you use your eyes, you can hear the delicate rhythm of the misty memories of days gone by.” In this way, the canvas transforms into a living thing, inviting the viewer to listen—to hear the resonant echoes of people, places, and moments frozen in time, but not forgotten. The “Houses of the Holy” series is more than a collection of images; it is an invitation to engage with the intangible: the emotions, the memories, the echoes of what once was, and what still endures. These works capture the perpetual energy of the sacred—those people, places, and objects that hold deep significance, some still here, some fading into history, but all revered and deserving of remembrance.


Each piece is a vessel, holding the intangible and making it visible: a quiet yet powerful tribute to what is eternal in the human experience—the beautiful, the powerful, and the most sacred.

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Houses on the Horizon 2 of 2 ©2023

36 x 47 inches (91.44 x 119.38 cm)


Enamel and acrylic on canvas


Houses on the Horizon is a striking addition to a remarkable series that began in 2011. Completed in 2023, this body of work reflects Michaels' ongoing exploration of color, shape, and texture, pushed to their limits on raw canvas. Through years of experimentation, the artist has achieved a multidimensional quality that is at once freeform and precisely crafted, creating a unique dialogue between chaos and control. The work pulses with an energy that recalls music—its forms and layers evoking rhythm, melody, and the play of sound in visual form.


The artist whispers, “If you use your eyes, you can hear the delicate rhythm of the misty memories of days gone by.” In this way, the canvas transforms into a living thing, inviting the viewer to listen—to hear the resonant echoes of people, places, and moments frozen in time, but not forgotten. The “Houses of the Holy” series is more than a collection of images; it is an invitation to engage with the intangible: the emotions, the memories, the echoes of what once was, and what still endures. These works capture the perpetual energy of the sacred—those people, places, and objects that hold deep significance, some still here, some fading into history, but all revered and deserving of remembrance.


Each piece is a vessel, holding the intangible and making it visible: a quiet yet powerful tribute to what is eternal in the human experience—the beautiful, the powerful, and the most sacred.

Add to Collection

Houses on the Horizon 1 of 2 ©2023

36 x 47 inches (91.44 x 119.38 cm)


Enamel and acrylic on canvas


Houses on the Horizon is a striking addition to a remarkable series that began in 2011. Completed in 2023, this body of work reflects Michaels' ongoing exploration of color, shape, and texture, pushed to their limits on raw canvas. Through years of experimentation, the artist has achieved a multidimensional quality that is at once freeform and precisely crafted, creating a unique dialogue between chaos and control. The work pulses with an energy that recalls music—its forms and layers evoking rhythm, melody, and the play of sound in visual form.


The artist whispers, “If you use your eyes, you can hear the delicate rhythm of the misty memories of days gone by.” In this way, the canvas transforms into a living thing, inviting the viewer to listen—to hear the resonant echoes of people, places, and moments frozen in time, but not forgotten. The “Houses of the Holy” series is more than a collection of images; it is an invitation to engage with the intangible: the emotions, the memories, the echoes of what once was, and what still endures. These works capture the perpetual energy of the sacred—those people, places, and objects that hold deep significance, some still here, some fading into history, but all revered and deserving of remembrance.


Each piece is a vessel, holding the intangible and making it visible: a quiet yet powerful tribute to what is eternal in the human experience—the beautiful, the powerful, and the most sacred.

Add to Collection

Copyright ©2007-2025 Stella Michaels;  All images are ©Stella Michaels.  ​All rights reserved.
  • The Gate
  • The Collection
    • Pop Movements Collection
    • Houses of the Holy Collection
    • The Drawing Board Collection
    • Symphony Collection
  • About the Artist
    • Stella Michaels Exhibitions
  • Inside the Studio