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Michelle Loughery
Master Artist, Muralist, Visionary, Art Educator
Award winning British Columbia based artist Michelle Loughery’s work stretches from massive community murals, large scale portraiture, to evocative contemporary encaustic studio work. More than three decades ago, Loughery’s art legacy monuments pioneered youth employment and public art mentor programming globally. Born and raised in a rural coal town, the artist began to recognize a certain satisfaction she felt when working at a larger scale, and when youth and seniors from the community were engaged in the experience. From heritage themes, international music star themes, youth social change murals and crime prevention mental health projects, the art form would become integral to Loughery’s artistic exploration.
Loughery’s encaustic and photography work is multi- layered and her process of taking away layers to reveal the work beneath the surface, tells of the work she is prepared to do in the development of the medium she creates from the bees wax and pigment waxes she hand makes. Loughery has developed a visual language through her combined multi-media work and has moved beyond being a technical painter into a place of intuition and expression.
Her encaustic paintings are an expression of bold mark making, energy and the melting of layers to reveal thoughts of the work hidden in the thoughts of the experiences of the walls and characters she met along the way. Loughery speaks of her memories in her portrait work and many familiar faces appear in the large striking pieces. The more I think about the people I paint, the more I think about taking them away from the structured portrait and exploring the essence of their characters in an abstract layered visual language that reveals as much as it conceals.” The artwork of Loughery is indeed never ordinary, but more extraordinary.
Over 300 community large scale murals, public art installations, exhibitions and numerous theme mural projects that have raised well over 50 million dollars for rural communities she has partnered with. The projects have engaged thousands of youth and the P6 strategies has level socio- economic legacies globally. Artwork, and Loughery’s work has been featured in numerous films and documentaries.