Mischell Riley

252 by 108 by 84 in. 640.1 by 274.3 by 213.4 cm.

The artist

I listen to a sacred inner voice that guides my heart and hands. I have always needed art to feel alive. As a child, I drew all night, carved all the soap bars in the house, and spent countless recesses tucked away with a sketch pad. After a Fine Arts degree, I apprenticed on the 7 story high MGM Lion in Las Vegas. When I experienced Burning Man's wide expanse, it sparked my desire to work on large scale art once again.

I have always been inspired by Maya Angelou. She and her poetry has given me inspirational fuel to promote a feminine perspective. When she reads her poems it's as if words of wisdom were pulled right out of the heavens and into my heart. I drew energy from her bravest and powerful poem "Still I Rise" while sculpting my most challenging sculpture thus far, Maya's Mind.

- Mischell Riley