Mhairi Treharne
Born 1989. Canadian artist (Scottish Mother, Welsh father). Raised in rural town Minden Ontario Canada. Mother to two. Based in Builth Wells Mid Wales.
On worked wooden (occasionally metal or stone) panels, I create wall-based paintings using oil paint. I create surreal scenes, faithfully combining landscapes and the people that surround me.
Artist Statement
Paintings are inspired by motherhood, sacred places, and connect to a past in rural Canada and a present in Mid Wales.
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 which are sculptural and embued with time and craft. Surfaces are drilled, decoratively burned, and stitched with wire to form an integral frames.
I do varied commission work accross many surfaces and forms.
See my CV here
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, diverse forest 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 as a technical designer 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.
In 2021, I became a mother - and in 2023, a mother of two. The experience of motherhood is a source of joy, growth, and inspiration. I am based in Builth Wells, Mid Wales.