Why Michelle Dumas paints with sequins instead of paint

At Women in Arts Network, every exhibition introduces us to artists who see familiar subjects in completely unexpected ways. For Flora and Fauna, we received beautiful interpretations of flowers, gardens, plants, and the natural world. Many explored colour, symbolism, growth, and beauty through traditional painting, photography, and mixed media.

Then Michelle Dumas arrived with sequins, thrift-store paintings, and a creative process unlike anything else in the exhibition.

Michelle is a selected artist for Flora and Fauna, and her work begins with something most people would walk past without a second thought an unwanted painting sitting on a thrift-store shelf, a forgotten floral hanging in a second-hand shop, or a piece of art that no longer fits someone’s home or taste.

Where others see something outdated or discarded, she sees potential. Using thousands of hand-applied sequins, Michelle transforms vintage florals and found artworks into vibrant contemporary pieces that shimmer, shift, and completely reimagine the original image.

Depending on the light, angle, and time of day, the work seems to change constantly, creating an experience that feels playful, surprising, and impossible to ignore. But what interested us most wasn’t simply the sparkle. It was the idea behind it.

At its core, Michelle’s work is about transformation. Giving forgotten objects a second life. Challenging ideas about beauty, value, and permanence. Taking something someone else overlooked and turning it into something that demands attention all over again.

There’s also something wonderfully unapologetic about her approach. The work embraces colour, shine, excess, humour, and personality without hesitation. It doesn’t ask permission to be bold. And perhaps that’s exactly why it feels so memorable.

Now let’s get to know Michelle through our conversation about sequins, sustainability, thrift-store treasures, creative instinct, and finding extraordinary possibilities hidden inside ordinary things.

Q1. Could you share your background and how you arrived at this distinctive approach of transforming found artworks into something entirely new?

I’ve always been creative and struggled to find my niche while attending high school and college. after settling on a career in a different creative field than I imagined, having babies, and working in real life, i needed something to fulfil that void inside me. I’ve always been an avid thriftier and oftentimes came across some really cool art – some weird, some very old, some newer, but all in some way spoke to me. painting over them came to mind, but adding sequins lit me up in a way i never felt before.

Q2. Your work begins with something that’s often overlooked or discarded what draws you to rescuing these pieces and giving them a completely new life?

Someone didn’t want this art anymore. they considered it old, boring, no longer fitting to their style, and it just didn’t speak to them anymore. when i come across it and see the vision, i need to save it from the landfill and make it new again.

Q3. When you find a painting at a thrift store or yard sale, what makes you decide this is the one to transform?  

There’s just a feeling i get. i look at the piece as a whole – is it the subject that needs to shine? the background to make the subject pop? is there something extra that it needs to really pop? i love looking at the color gradients in the piece and picture how i can replicate that with sequins. it could truly be done with any piece, but there’s select ones that call to ME to transform – almost always vintage florals, religious figures, landscapes, portraits, to name a few.

Q4. Each sequin is applied individually by hand, which is incredibly time-intensive what does that process feel like for you?

It is the calm in the chaos of my day. i truly melt into the process and could stay that way forever (not like i have the time).

Q5. You say the pieces look best in the sun for “maximum shine, shimmer and glitter.” Do you create with that sunlight moment in mind?

Q6. Your work fully embraces maximalism colour, shine, pattern-on-pattern what draws you to this aesthetic rather than something more minimal?

It’s something i call personality. the over the top color, texture and shine keeps the viewer engaged and in awe as they examine the work. it truly changes with each angle of view and time of day. to quote the best of the best, iris apfel, “more is more and less is a bore”.

Q7. Your practice is rooted in upcycling and reuse how important is sustainability in what you do, beyond just the visual transformation

Sustainability is a core philosophy of mine – the art i start with, the sequins and materials i thrift to create my work, and the packing materials i reuse – all secondhand when possible. there is so much in this world that exists already without buying new.

Q8. When people encounter your work, what do you hope they feel first joy, surprise, humor, or something deeper?

All of the above, but mostly surprise! what a joyous and fun feeling to see someone witness something they’ve never seen before.

Q9. Your work challenges traditional ideas of taste and beauty what interests you about embracing something bold, excessive, or even “tacky”?

One of my favorite things is the mix of old + new in my pieces. i find some pieces that are 100+ years old and adding bright and colorful, sun catching sequins on a dusty and faded painting is a juxtaposition that is so interesting and fun to me.

Q10. In a world where everything is curated and polished, your work feels very free and unapologetic how do you see it fitting into today’s art landscape?

I’m not too concerned with fitting in to today’s art landscape. i’m doing what i want, what makes me happy, and f%*&ing s#!t up a little bit and the right people will find me 🙂

Q11. What would you say to artists who feel drawn to bold, unconventional ideas but are afraid to fully commit to them?

Just try. that’s all you can do! the world needs weirder.

As we wrapped up our conversation with Michelle, we kept returning to the fact that her work asks us to look twice.

The first reaction is often surprise. The sequins. The sparkle. The unexpected transformation of a familiar image. But the longer you spend with the work, the more layers begin to reveal themselves.

What starts as a vintage floral painting becomes a conversation about reinvention. What appears playful at first also carries ideas about sustainability, consumption, nostalgia, and the value we assign to objects over time.

That balance is what makes the work so engaging. Many artists create something entirely new from blank canvas. Michelle begins with someone else’s history and builds a new chapter on top of it. The original artwork remains present, but it becomes part of a much larger story about transformation, creativity, and seeing potential where others see none. There’s something optimistic about that.

For collectors, the work offers a rare combination of craftsmanship, humour, individuality, and presence. These pieces don’t quietly disappear into a room. They interact with their surroundings, changing with the light and continually revealing new details as people spend time with them. And perhaps that’s why they’re so difficult to forget.

Because beneath all the colour, shine, and glitter is an artist reminding us that beauty can be rediscovered, reimagined, and rebuilt in places we least expect.

To follow Michelle’s journey and see more of her work, find her through the links below.