Mhairi Treharne
Born 1989
Canadian (Scottish Mother, Welsh father)
Raised in rural Ontario Canada
Wife and mother of two, third child due December 2026
Based in Mid Wales UK
On worked panels (often wood, occaisionally metal or stone), I create wall-based oil paintings featuring surreal scenes.
Artist Statement
Paintings are inspired by sacred places, motherhood and tie in landscapes associated with my homeland(s).
I capture imagery and stories which have a sacred force. I am taken by dark and glittering scenes, rippling foliage, precious objects, and eternal maternal experiences.
I produce small wall-based paintings on worked surfaces. Surfaces are drilled, decoratively burned, and stitched with wire to form an integral frames.
Traditional oil painting methods and theory are becoming a central focus in my practice recently, as a member of the Schildersbent, studying under artist Christian Rex van Minnen - I am part of a movement towards absolute craftmanship within painting.
I do varied commission work accross many surfaces and forms.
See my CV here
See review by Artist David Finn
About
I was born in Canada to a Scottish mother and Welsh father. I was raised in Minden - a rural town in Central Ontario. I still feel inspired by the marshlands, lakes, and unyeilding granite of my Canadian childhood.
At sixteen, I left home to live in Japan for a year via the Rotary Exchange Program. Inspiration from that experience continue to wash over my work. Later, I lived in the Midwest of the United States and in the South West of England working for international clothing brands.
In my mid twenties I moved permanently to the United Kingdom, and completed a year of mentorship at The Newlyn School of Art in Cornwall. I have exhibited my work throughout the United Kingdom, presented two solo exhibitions, and have been featured in international publications.
I am a mother of two (soon to become a mother of three). The experience of motherhood is a source of joy, growth, and inspiration.