The Art of Michele Johnsen: Bio




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at The Studio by Christy Champagne

Michele has spent a lifetime engaged in and devoted to the visual arts having begun drawing at a very young age. She took an oil painting class in her early twenties, but quickly began experimenting with a variety of craft mediums when her first son was born. She spent many years involved in textile crafts, then learned calligraphy, prompting a career in graphic design. She started doing simple commissions out of her home, but the business grew to a size that prompted the opening of “The Studio” in 1984, where she met the needs of clients in a breadth of design work as well as framing, sign painting and portrait commissions. Her primary medium at that time was colored pencil. Her proficiency earned her important commissions as well as inclusion in The Colored Pencil Society of America’s group shows as well as three additions of The Best of Colored Pencil” by Rockport Publishers.

She received a MFA at NH Institute of Art in January of 2017 and a BS in Art Education from Granite State College in 2002. She began a teaching career that same year. She is currently employed as a full time art educator at Colebrook Elementary and Colebrook Academy in Colebrook, NH. At the same time she spends much of her time creating acrylic landscapes inspired by her north country home as well as her travels to the west coast and Europe, developing a distinctive style over the past decade. Her work has been shown in galleries throughout the country.

Berlin Voc. Tech. College, Berlin, NH - January 1986, solo
Studio Works Gallery, Berlin, NH - April 1986, two-person
Mt. Top Gallery, Windham, NY - March, 1998, group
Gallery North, Littleton, NH - Oct 1 - Nov. 10, 1988, solo
Gallery North, Littleton, NH - Nov. 25 - Dec. 24, 1988, group
Audubon Society, Concord, NH - Feb. 10 - March 10, 1989, group
Littleton Library, Littleton, NH - July 1989, solo
Shapiro Gallery - NH College - Manchester, NH - June 1990, solo
Jacob Javitts Federal Building, N.Y., NY - August 1991, solo
7th NH Arts Biennial - Manchester Inst. of Arts & Sciences - April 16 - May 3, 1991 - group
Balsams Hotel, Dixville Notch, NH - Artists-in-Residence - July 8 14, 1991
Sharon Arts Center, Sharon, NH - 15th Annual Juried Exhibit - Sept. 13 - Oct. 11, 1992 - group
The Folkway, Peterborough, NH - April 2 - May 14, 1993 - two-person
The Shaw Gallery, Keene, NH - March 27 - April 21, 1993- group
1993 International Colored Pencil Exhibition, Birmingham, Michigan
Crazy Squirrel Studio, Franconia, NH - Dec. 1 - Jan. 1, 1993 - two-person
Colebrook Public Library, Colebrook, NH - August 24 & 25, 1996 - solo
Main Street Art Gallery Exhibit, Lancaster, NH - August 1999 - group
The Old Mill Studio, Whitefield, NH - July 2002, solo
The Old Mill Studio, Whitefield, NH - August 2002, group
NH Institute of Art Biennial 2003, Manchester, NH - Nov. 13 - Dec. 7, 2003 - group
The Great Northwoods Gallery, Stewartstown, NH - July 9 - 21, 2004 - Solo
NH Institute of Art Biennial 2005, Manchester, NH Nov 12 - Dec. 16, 2005 - Group
Quimby Gallery, Lyndon State College, Lyndonville, VT - Nov. 16 - December 12, 2006 - solo retrospective
Waterville Valley Art Walk, Waterville Valley, NH , July 2006 group
Caladan Gallery, The Eye of Nature, Online group show Aug-Sept 2007
Caladan Gallery, Pure Color, Online group show Nov-Dec. 2007 group
NH Institute of Art Biennial 2007, Manchester, NH Nov. 15-Dec14 group
Minumental Exhibition, February 2009, NH Institute of Art, Manchester, NH
Night Music Exhibition, March 2009, Old Mill Studio/AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH
WREN Gallery, Bethlehem, NH, “Forest Lover” May 1 – 31, 2009, Solo
“Never Think Small” group show, Climate/Gallery, Long Island City, NY, October 3 – 25, 2009
“PAINT” group show, Climate/Gallery, Long Island City, NY, November 7 – 22, 2009
Small Works Show, WREN Gallery, Bethlehem, NH – November 3 – 30, 2009
NH Institute of Art Biennial 2009, Manchester, NH, Nov. 9 – Dec. 4, 2009
“Putting It All Together” group show, Climate/Gallery, Long Island City, NY, Feb. 6 – 21, 2010
“The Artful Scriptorium” group show, Climate/Gallery, Long Island City, NY, April 3 – 25, 2010
“Elemental Spring”, Caladan Gallery, Online group show, April 1 – 30, 2010
“Change of Scenery”, Margaret and H.A. Rey Gallery, Waterville Valley, NH May 28 – July 17, 2010, 2010, two-man show
Coos County Symposium, Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, May 22-24, 2010, 3-man show.
“A Personal Landscape”, group show, Soo Rye Gallery, Rye, NH, Sept. 25 – November 5 , 2010
“Precious”, group show, Soo Rye Gallery, Rye, NH, Nov. 13 – January 21 2011
“Secret Places” , solo show, WREN Gallery, Bethlehem, NH, October 5 -29, 2012
“Salon Show”, group show, Soo Rye Gallery, Rye, NH, December 2012
“Secret Places II”, solo show, Quimby Gallery, Lyndon State College, Lyndonville, VT, October 4 – November 5, 2013

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Finalist - Audubon Society Wildflower Poster Competition
Arts Jubilee 18th Annual Art Show - Honorable Mention
Littleton 21st Annual Art Show - Honorable Mention
Littleton 22nd Annual Art Show - 2nd Place
Winner of 1st Night NH Logo Competition - Concord, NH 1993
Littleton 25th Annual Art Show 3rd Place
Mt. Washington Valley Arts Assoc. Art Show - July 27, 1996 - Judges’ Award
People’s Choice Award, Hanover Chamber Orchestra Exhibition, March 13th, 2009
People’s Choice Exhibition, Pittsburg, NH – Best of Show Judges’ Award

The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel – Dixville Notch, NH
Portrait of the late Sheriff Morton - Coos County Court House
Portrait of the late Judge Vickie Bunnell - Coos County Court House
Portrait of the late Judge Vickie Bunnell - Colebrook District Court House
Rochester Museum of Fine Art, Rochester, NH

Best of Colored Pencil II & III - Rockport Publishers
Creative Colored Pencil - Vera Curnow
Cover of the March 1998 NH Bar Journal
The Best in American Watermedia, Kennedy Publishers

Fiddleheads, Colebrook, NH
Fiddleheads, Littleton, NH
WREN Gallery, Bethlehem, NH
WREN Gallery, Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, NH

" ... way of making the energy of the woods, fields, trees and nature come alive and vibrate a persons soul. "
- Artist, Educator, Deb S.

"... stopping to look at your paintings bring a bit of peace to these crazy lives of ours. "
- Florist, Farmer, Nancy L.

"... someone who has remained a constant source of inspiration throughout my artistic career ..."
- Artist, Nick K.




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