Michael Hartley

My creative interests and approach.

I am originally from the North east of England co Durham where I studied B.A Hons community and visual arts Degree at university of Northumberland and later an MA in design from Teesside university.   My creative interests are in multimedia and cross artforms where one area informs and inspires another. I have explored and incorporated different artforms in my work explorations in stop motion animation, sculpture, kinetic art, painting and drawing and music and sound installations as well as puppetry and performance. I have been involved in many collaborations with technicians musicians and creatives from different diciplines, have run workshops and worked with a wide cross section os age ranges and social groups. 

Most of my inspiration and ideas for my creative jerney have been linked to the natural environment and nature including the use of materias and their environmental impact.  I have been building large scale three dimentional macketts and installations for years for festivals and arts community events, interested in exploring new and different contexts where the public experience art. Also because of funding restricions I explored the idea that limitation and seeing problems as pushing creative solutions,  I liked the fact that limitations or restrictions can promote creative response and push the imagination, I explored more and more ideas of minimalism and allowing the materials or context im working in to dictate most of the creation a response to approach rather than forcing an idea upon a context a material or a space.  

origonally from the north east of England, studied at University of northumbria and Teeside university. Dyslexic and neurodivergent worked as self employed mural artiist, illustrator for education material, ran artworkshops for large range of social groups, worked building large scale macketts and structures for festivals street parades. lost eyesight for years and started sculpture with found objects as couldnt draw till sight reterned. since then created artworks in 3D and with objects recycling reuse.