'Left Message' July 3, 2021 Studio Visit with Ignacio Michaud

I have followed Ignacio's work (@ignaciomichaud) from the first moment I saw it at a show in Virginia Highlands a few years back, and was more than lucky to have his work in Salon Suburbia's, 'EVERYTHING | NOTHING.' He is currently represented by the Sandler Hudson Gallery in Atlanta, GA.

In my years of following Ignacio's work, I have always wondered, "What is it that I can't put my finger on? Why do I admire his work so much? Is it the color? The compositions? The shapes?' Today as I acted as detective, asking all the questions I always wanted to ask, and observing where he makes his work, I feel as if I've deduced, in part, what it is. At the core of it all, is trust in himself and by proxy, humanity.

Automatic drawing without judgement has been a part of his life since early grade school. Now, in adulthood, it has become second nature. Without direct-intention, but as a byproduct of his interest in and care for those people he meets in the course of his day job, these automatic drawings become a conduit, a memorial to each story and to those distilled, raw elements of humankind, that span all of us regardless of where we come from. Just as he trusts his hand to draw what is there, ('The first thought is the best thought.' was a quote from Ginsburg written in one of his sketchbooks), so too does he accept the people he meets as they are in their humanity.

The sheer volume of people he has worked with from all walks of life, from so many countries is astounding. The numerous stories and experiences he has had in his life is hard to quantify, but seeing the books and pages upon pages of drawings he has done on variously colored, sized and lined sticky notes over the years, one phrase appeared many times; 'left message,' which was surely a testament to the time he spends on the phone each day with his work, but to me, it was also a truth to his work, and the legacy he's making now. He is leaving us all a message, and it couldn't be more timely.