Who: Michelle Harton
What: Acrylics and Pastels
I feel art is about a person’s connection with a piece, the emotions and memories, conscious or unknown from this life or another that are briefly unlocked. That which can’t be seen haunts and intrigues me. I try to make some sense of it through painting and researching but it only digs a bigger hole into the abyss of esotericism for me. The idea of control is present in my work; who is controlling us, spiritually, politically, emotionally, with my regular conclusion being that the only person stifling us is ourselves. I guess creating these other worlds allow me to have a sense of control over something even if I can’t always figure this life out. Even with that control, I don’t always understand my paintings but I understand how they make me feel and what it takes to create them.
In the past few years I have moved from painting in a more realistic style in oils to painting with acrylics and drawing on top with water soluble wax pastels. The freedom that erasing the wax pastels without damaging the under painting has given me has allowed me to explore a whole other world of dreamlike figures and distortions of life drawings that I may not have otherwise given myself permission to do so. Perfectionism and feeling like my work wasn’t good enough held be back from painting for too many years than I care to remember, even though it’s all I wanted to do. Eventually when I started showing the work that I do now only because I was encouraged by friends, instead of the realistic portraits that I would slave and mentally struggle over, I gained the personal freedom to really do the art I wanted to do. All along the only person stopping me was myself.
Now when I paint I feel like time stops. Even though I don’t always know where a painting is going I’ve developed faith that it will show me eventually. I have a patience with it that I don’t always have in my day to day life. I notice that aches and pains and worries I might have disappear as soon as I start. The hard part is allowing ourselves to be the people we really want to be. What makes it easier is having people encourage you along the way and remembering how good life can feel when you do the things you feel called to.
To see more work I’m on Instagram and Facebook under michellehartonart, Twitter @michelleharton and my website is michellehartonart.com
Michelle Harton - The Layers They Do Not See Or Want To
Michelle Harton - Give me your hand
Michelle Harton - Blindfolded to Life
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