Michelle Jader (American 1969) is known for layered mixed-media works that explore movement, transition, and emotional uncertainty. After a career in marketing and consulting, she shifted to a full-time studio practice and earned an MFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2011. Jader’s paintings are constructed from stacked, semi-transparent acrylic panels, each containing separate painted imagery that creates a sense of motion and suspended movement. Drawing on references of dancers, gymnasts, and trapeze artists, her work examines moments of personal change, risk, and transformation through layered compositions that combine traditional oil painting techniques with contemporary materials.