Episode 21 - Michelle Harton

Art Conversations with Lisa Jayne Irvine

Michelle Harton (b.1983) is an Irish artist who works mainly in acrylic and water soluble drawing materials. She has studied art at Fermanagh College in Northern Ireland, classical portraiture and figure painting and drawing at the private art school and international arts colony Studio Escalier in France, plein air painting with David Mynett in Majorca and is an alumni of the intensive Creative Visionary Program with Nicholas Wilton along with many years of self experimentation.

Her previous work has included a collection on the folklore and legends of her hometown Cavan and a large solo exhibition based on the “Fairy Stories of Oscar Wilde”, a book her Grandmother gave her as a child. Her most recent exhibition was at StART in the world renowned Saatchi Gallery in London and is now represented in the UK by Vache Bleue Galleries.

Michelle is very interested in creating interactive art buying experiences. Her first project of this kind "The Mystery Art Sale" saw her pre-sell 37 paintings in 30 days on social media to collectors who bought without knowing what their painting would look like. "The STOP PAINTING Project" handed the age old question of "When is a painting finished?" over to the art buyer through a constantly developing collection of 30 paintings that were painted over until they all sold. These projects have encouraged her to seek out newer, creative, fun ways to interact with art buyers.

Her current work “The Land Of Gemini” is an exploration into the creation of mystical dream worlds for introspective art collectors as a place to escape to and meditate in to recharge their energy and spirit. Many of the works can be orientated in two directions allowing one painting to become two. The works are landscapes from a lucid dream world and the imagined wildflowers that grow there, with glimpses of a contemporary colourful take on the bucolic scenes of Ireland and countries Michelle has lived including Vietnam and Peru.

On today’s episode Michelle talks about her creative process and how Irish folklore has inspired her work.

Interested in seeing some of Michelle’s work. Go to her website at https://michellehartonart.com/

Find Michelle on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/michellehartonart/

Find me on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/artconversationswithlisajayne/ or at my website at www.lisajayneirvine.com