Michelle "Mike" Ochonicky is an award-winning artist whose
work includes murals, drawing, illustrations, sculpture and
photography but, for the past 32 years, she has carved herself a
reputation as a master of the early American art form of
scrimshaw.
Awards:
 | Missouri's Selected Artist | |
| Best of Missouri Hands Juried Artist | |
| Award of Excellence- St. Louis County | |
| Purchase Award- Mitchell Museum | |
| Best of Category - Cedarhurst Craft Fair | |
| Best of Show- Evansville, Indiana | |
| Best Craftsman Award- Olney, Illinois | |
| Demonstration Award- Evansville, Indiana | |
| National Directory of American Craftsmen | |
| Best in Fine Craft - Bloomington, IL | |
| Best of Missouri Artists, Cedarhurst Craft Fair/Mitchell | |
| Museum |
Ochonicky graduated with a degree in art, with an emphasis on
sculpture, from Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri. She
first started carving when her father, who collected scrimshaw,
suggested she give it a try. For Ochonicky, it was the perfect medium
to combine her love of art and history. Additional graduate studies
in a variety of mediums continued to enrich to her work, giving it a
distinct style.
In the late 1700's and early 1800's sailors created scrimshaw as a
way to pass time on long whaling voyages. Intricate pictures were
etched using only a pocketknife or sail needle. Today, animal
protection laws ban the importation of ivory whale's teeth or
elephant tusks. Instead, Ochonicky uses cow bone or horns, deer
antlers, ostrich and emu eggs, fossilized ivory and manmade
polymers with the look and feel of ivory. She has even etched on
tagua palm tree seedpods. As a result, Ochonicky has received
recognition as an environmentally conscious artist. Like the
sailors, she uses no patterns, stencils, transfers or power tools.
Each piece is truly hand-done and original. Working from her tiny
Stone Hollow Studio deep in the woods near Eureka, Missouri,
Ochonicky's subjects include the very traditional nautical themes
along with the wildlife she loves so much. Her sculpture-based
skills infuse her scrimshaw with a three-dimensional quality, making
the images appear alive.
Mike Ochonicky's award winning scrimshaw has been selected
fifteen times by Early American Life magazine for the prestigious
Directory of Traditional American Crafts. Purchased by
collectors worldwide, her work has been the subject of published
articles, radio and television programs. To view a recent PBS-
television segment about Mike and her work, click: watch show.
Her artwork has been on display in the White House Visitor Center,
Missouri Governor's Mansion and the Cathedral Basilica of St.
Louis, as well as in private, corporate, state and university art
collections in the U.S., Europe, Asia, South American, Africa and
Australia.
Ochonicky is the former Executive Director of Missouri Artisans
Association, better known as The Best of Missouri Hands (BOMH).
Additionally, she served three terms as president, one term each as
vice president and as advisor of this statewide group dedicated to
promoting Missouri artists. To learn more about this organization,
click: Best of Missouri Hands.
In addition to her scrimshaw, Ochonicky's work in other artistic
mediums has received recognition. The National Park Foundation
utilized Ochonicky's sculpture and design skills as part of both the
2010 and 2011 National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C.
Missouri's Secretary of State awarded Ochonicky's photography
first place in statewide competition and selected that work for
publication in the Official Manual of the State of Missouri, 2005-
2006. Her work has graced the Governor's Christmas tree in the
Missouri State Rotunda. Ochonicky's illustrations can be found in
books such as Missouri Life's Lewis and Clark: Journey Across
Missouri, on the covers of Eureka, Missouri: Sesquecentennial and
of The Wednesday Club CookBook. Ochonicky designed the first
in a series of collector ornaments for the city of Eureka, Missouri
as well as one in the Cedarhurst Commemorative Ornament series
for the Mitchell Museum in Mount Vernon, Illinois.
Ochonicky's work as an arts advocate is recognized throughout
the state of Missouri. As Arts Editor for The Healthy Planet
magazine, she is closely connected to the local arts scene as she
writes her monthly ARTful Living column, with readership of
90,000. To read her current or previous articles online simply
select ARTful Living following this link: read column.
Recognized for her artistic expertise, Ochonicky is Juror and
Awards Judge for exhibitions and art competitions, including the
annual Taste of St. Louis event and the Family Enrichment Resource
Program.
She is as an experienced educator on all levels, inspiring her
students to stretch their abilities. Actively involved with the
Partners In Education program, Ochonicky brings supplemental art
and art history classes to elementary schools. She frequently
presents programs on the history of scrimshaw, leading students
as they personally experience the artform by creating their own
scrimshaw works. In 2010, Rockwood School District presented
Ochonicky with the Gifted Education Award for this cross-
curriculum work at the Center for Creative Learning campus.
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| About the Artist info@stonehollowstudio.com |
Top left: Docent-led tour group views Ochonicky's
scrimshaw on exhibition inside the
Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.
Lower left: Ochonicky's scrimshaw installed on main
altar and processional cross of Most Sacred Heart
Church.
Top right: Close-up of one of Ochonicky's scrimshaw
pieces installed on the altar of
Most Sacred Heart Church in Eureka, Missouri.
Far lower left: Ochonicky at the unveiling of the
Official Manual of the State of Missouri, featuring her
photography, at the Missouri State Capitol Rotunda.
Lower left: Working on site in southern France.
scrimshaw on exhibition inside the
Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.
Lower left: Ochonicky's scrimshaw installed on main
altar and processional cross of Most Sacred Heart
Church.
Top right: Close-up of one of Ochonicky's scrimshaw
pieces installed on the altar of
Most Sacred Heart Church in Eureka, Missouri.
Far lower left: Ochonicky at the unveiling of the
Official Manual of the State of Missouri, featuring her
photography, at the Missouri State Capitol Rotunda.
Lower left: Working on site in southern France.
| ""Though she lives far from the oceans, Michelle "Mike" Ochonicky has made a name for herself by cultivating an almost lost, early American art form" --St. Louis Post Dispatch |
Above: Mike's work on display in
the White House Visitor Center in
Washington, D.C.
the White House Visitor Center in
Washington, D.C.
Preparing an exhibition.