Michel Poirier Biography

Michel Poirier was born in 1961 in St Jean sur Richelieu, Quebec. He had his first show in Paris in 1985 at La Maison Sous Les Arbres. In 1988, he gave up his career at Ford Motor Company to pursue his art full time.

From 1991 to 1994 Michel owned and operated 2 art galleries in Mont Tremblant and published his first series of lithographs. In 1994, on a search for new inspiration, he moved the United States, settling at his studio in Coconut Grove, Florida, where he had great success with his ‘Boots’ Series, a collection of over 80 paintings of vintage cowboy boots from the 50’s, along with a few unique designs of his own. His artwork is used for Country & Western album covers, and national advertisements. His “Sunflower Boot” painting made the cover of Arizona Magazine. Michel participated in international invitational watercolor shows where his creative close ups of feet were widely recognized.

Michel has came a long way from operating a small art gallery in Tremblant in the early 90’s to making his reputation throughout the US and winning an award at the prestigious Vanier & Roberts International Watercolor Invitational in 95. He subsequently signed with a publisher, who convinced him to embark on a world cruise as a guest artist and lecturer. His love for the sea prompted him to take a position as an Art Director for many major cruise lines under the umbrella of Carnival Corporation (Princess, Cunard, Ocean Village, Costa and P&O). In 2003 Michel registered yacht-artist.com and became known as “the yacht artist” after a sold out show of his paintings during the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. Within a year, he became the official artist for many yacht manufacturers, painting yacht portraits for brands such as Sunseeker, Cheyhoy Lee, Hargrave, Marlow and Trinity Yachts.

Following his success overseas, he returned to his roots in Mont Tremblant and focused on painting what really compelled him as an artist, transparencies and reflections, whether in glass, metal or nature. His current studio is located in an old train station in the heart of the village of Mont Tremblant, Quebec, where he grew up skiing and enjoying the great outdoors.

 ARTIST’S STATEMENT

For Michel, it’s the painting process that matters, subject is secondary, no matter what imagery you create, “your soul will shine through every stroke, if you really love what you do. The variety of styles and subjects I’ve produced over the years testify to my insatiable need to constantly reinvent myself.”