Meet Michele Barnes

We recently connected with Michele Barnes and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Michele, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

Growing up in a one parent household with my sister helped develop my work ethic. My Mother worked hard at a job she wasn’t thrilled with. She persisted because she had to support my sister and me. She never complained and gave us so much love. She also went back to college part time. Her example has instilled in me to work hard and never take anything for granted.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I had taught Art for many years. After retiring I was offered an opportunity to join a cooperative art gallery. It afforded me a place and time to work and much camaraderie with other artists. I was inspired to go back to one of my favorite media to work in, printmaking. I had really enjoyed creating monotypes, linoleum printing and woodcuts. My experiences from studying these art forms in college rekindled my interest again. During the pandemic I invested in high quality linoleum and woodcut tools. I find it quite satisfying to print by hand, although it can be very challenging at times. I have persevered and experimented with various techniques. It was brought to my attention that there was a grant opportunity in my City of Virginia Beach. I had applied and received the grant! That really spurred me on to create more relief prints!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I believe that experimenting and exploring new types of art helped me define the type of art I am presently doing. Finding that spark was due to all the investigating I did in all areas of art. Researching other artists in the field of printmaking and going to Museums to see their work really impacted my artwork. Finding a community of other printmakers is a great boost to foster my skills further.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

My drawing and printmaking professor in college was a huge influence on my development as a printmaker. His example as a knowledgeable and creative artist spurred my interest in exploring and continuing my studies. He was dear to me as a teacher and a friend. I always have him in the back of my mind when I am working.

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