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 "I have always had a love for design and color, which I use expressively, formally, conceptually, and emotionally."
Michelle DeRoche Saluskin, Flathead and Blackfeet, grew up in Arlee, Montana. She is the daughter of Alfred and Georgie DeRoche, and the granddaughter of Alice and the late Gordon DeRoche, and Kenneth and Alice Old Person. Encouraged by her father, Michelle began drawing at a very early age, and her love of art began to grown while she attended Valley Christian School in Missoula, Montana, where she was introduced to various artistic styles and media. After graduating from high school in 2003, she received the Gates Millennium Scholarship and attended numerous schools, including DeVry University, University of Montana, Salish Kootenai College, and Central Washington University. In 2009, Michelle graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting.
Michelle's artwork consists mainly of acrylic and oil painting, although she also creates drawings using pen, graphite, charcoal, and pastels. When painting, color is the first thing Michelle considers followed by space, line, shape, texture, and light. She often photographs nature and animals and reinterprets those images on canvas. One of Michelle's favorite techniques, glazing, allows the build-up of thin layers of color so that the first color painted is only slightly visible.
Michelle now resides in Ellensburg, Washington, with her husband devotes her time to homeschooling their two sons, ages three and five. She participates in local shows on the Yakima Nation and has travelled to various art shows, including the Northern Plains Indian Art Market in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Michelle also teaches art classes to home schooled students in Ellensburg. In the future, she would like to become more involved with art shows and would like to open her own gallery and frame shop in order to support other Native Americans pursuing artistic careers.
Many of the pieces shown may be purchased through the Pikuni Gift Shop located at the Museum of the Plains Indian. The gift shop can be reached at (406) 338-7957 or (406) 338-7954.
For hours of operation, call the Museum of the Plains Indian at (406) 338-2230.
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Self Portrait
20"x 26"
Acrylic on Paper,©2008
War Pony
Oil on Paper © 2009
24"x 20"
Sing Me a Song Grandpa
24" x 48"
Oil on Panel © 2009
Last Bull
Acrylic on Panel © 2008
24" x 36"
Yakima Indian Son
18" x 24"
Acrylic on Canvas © 2010
Untitled
22" x 34"
Acrylic on Canvas © 2008
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