Michelle Barkway #artcrushxo
Who are and where are you from?
My name is Michelle Barkway and I'm an artist living on Vancouver Island on Canada's West Coast. I was born and raised on the chilly Canadian Prairies and moved to the coast with my family in 2014. I've always felt most at home near the Pacific Ocean and am grateful every day to be here, surrounded by ancient cedars and cold seas.
Is creating art your passion and/or your profession?
Creating art is my passion and profession—I can't imagine doing anything else now. I sold my first piece in the Spring of 2018 and am grateful to now have my work in homes around the world (pinch me!).
How did you get into doing it?
I took my first art class after we moved to the Island in 2014 as a way to meet people and try something new. But my love affair with art goes back much further. In university my favourite courses were those will illustrative components, like scientific illustrations for lab studies and map drawing for geography classes. But I'm nothing if not stubborn and continued to pursue a career in Biology. Then came marriage. And two kids. And a big move to a new province and city. And eventually a seat in a class at a local artist's studio, surrounded by paints and pens and papers and canvases. That was it—I was hooked.
What is your driving force?
My goal is to share with others the sense of calm and wholeness that I get when I'm outdoors. Time in nature and creating art are vital for keeping my anxiety at bay. Our homes and our surroundings have an immense effect on our well being - art that reflects who we are and our sense of self can create a sort of mental white space, a reminder to take a deep breathe and reset. I want my help people bring the outdoors into their homes.
What is your current inspiration?
Nature and science have always been my inspiration. And I'm fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, surrounded by old-growth temperate rainforests and rocky beaches, wildflowers and snow-capped mountains. I'm inspired by both the complexity and the simplicity of the natural world, and by the interconnectedness of all its components. I'm pretty sure there's a deeper metaphor for humans in there!
What kind of work you do and why?
In 2021 I'll be focusing on Coastal Linescapes on both paper and canvas. Under that umbrella, I'll be working with a variety of mediums, including gouache, ink, fluid acrylics and charcoal. I'm excited to do a deep dive into these new works.
Is there something fun that’s currently inspiring you?
My over-caffeinated squirrel brain tends to have a problem with finding too much inspiration! Creative blocks have never been an issue. Right now I'm inspired by some of the amazing local landscape photographers—the way they capture familiar scenes and present them in a unique way inspires me to look at familiar places from different perspectives.
