About the artist

About the artist

I have always loved art and began drawing and painting as a small child. Growing up, I took classes at a community art club in Pennsylvania and exhibited my work in local art shows. Later, I went to college at Columbia in New York City, where I took some drawing classes but mostly just absorbed the fantastic array of art in museums and galleries.

After graduation, I stopped painting for about two years. I was busy with my first job, and nothing in my Boston neighborhood caught my interest. My first visit to Maine in 2004 inspired me to begin painting again. I spent a day on Monhegan Island and immediately fell in love with the rocks, trees, and ocean. I started my first painting within a week of returning home and have been painting seriously for the past 4 years.

In 2006, I moved to Portland, Maine. I have found the Portland arts community to be very engaging and a constant source of new ideas. My work has also benefited from the workshops and classes that I’ve taken at the Maine College of Art.

I primarily paint the New England landscape, with an emphasis on the rocky Maine coast. I also enjoy painting the rolling interior farmland and forests. Most of my paintings are done with brushes on canvas. I also work with brushes and pallet knives on wood panels and occasionally incorporate acrylic elements, such as molding paste, to add texture.

For more information or for pricing, please contact me at info@michelleleavy.com.