Michèle Tougas is primarily self-taught, but studied with Carol Sebold in Maine (2006), the late Helmut Gerth (1989) and the late Max Stiebel (1990) – both well-known West Island artists - as well as Jacques Hébert  of Québec (2007). She was obliged to interrupt her Fine Arts  studies at Concordia for the happy responsibilities of motherhood and her challenging yet rewarding dayjob teaching high-school English. In her retirement, she is pursuing the passion for art that took hold ever since she won the prize for art in her elementary school at the age of ten.

Although Michèle Tougas has worked successfully in various mediums, watercolour remains her first love.  In her opinion, watercolour is magical, yet humbling. Colours run, spread, and seep -deciding their own course and eluding our control, creating unexpected surprises in contour and luminosity. Tougas’ watercolours have been described as “exciting, vibrant, and incredibly bold”, as well as “full of light, charm and life”.