User:West coast writing

= Chelsea Michal Garter = Chelsea Michal Garter (Gentry) was born Sept 24, 1984. Chelsea is an American abstract artist known form her large abstract pieces and line work.

Chelsea competed in the well known Art Prize,[1] and was Winner of the Revue West Michigan Best of the West 2019 Visual Artist of the Year.

Work
Chelsea's work can be found through the homes and buildings of her community in West Michigan.

Early Life
Raised in Lowell and homeschoolled until college, Chelsea had plenty of free time to refiner in her skill and express them through art.

Daughter of Doug and Waverly Gentry, she is the only girl out of 5. She spent most her upbringing inside her family farm house and in the fields and the surrounding fields. Garter spent a lot of her upbringing in nature, and has drawn much of her influence from it.

Growing up in a small community she received a lot of acknowledgment for her art, which gave her the confidence to pursue it as a career

Her worldview expended first on a trip her parents took the family out out West. "This changed everything. I remember feeling something new come alive in me. Travel has inspired me ever since."​

After graduating high school Chelsea attended Grand Valley State University where she honed in her artistic skills, but unable to be contained she had to continue to travel. She spent a summer in Mali, another in Bangladesh serving in and orphanage, and eventually left college to head to Alaska. Since then Chelsea has returned home to West Michigan where she basis her creations, but has not stopped her travels. Her art is drawn from inspiration of places she has traveled around the US like Northern Michigan, Joshua Tree, Florida oceans, and the Appalachian Mountains as well as Internationally from Israel, Jordan, Thailand, and Puerto Rico. These locations and inspirations can be see through tout her pictures and posts on her Website and Instagram.

Articles/Media
Grand Rapids Magazine: "Local artist Chelsea Michal Garter wears many hats. In addition to making art, she styles hair and designs tattoos, but painting is where her heart is."

Revue West Michigan: "Ever since she was little, Chelsea Michal’s been more interested in capturing the feeling of a person, animal or experience than making picture-perfect recreation. Her abstract (sometimes semi-abstract) art has made her a name around town, this year winning Best Artist with tons of votes in Revue’s Best of the West readers poll. Raised in Lowell and homeschoolled all the way up to college, Garter said she had plenty of free time to hone in her abilities ad express herself through art. She also attributes her abilities to all the great instructors she had over the years who continue to push and inspire her."

Made by Minimal: "Artist Interview: Chelsea Michal Garter. Our interview series continues this week with artist, Chelsea Michal Garter. Enjoy the Q & A along with a selection of Chelsea’s work."