Holly Farrell was born in 1961 in North Bay, Ontario. Farrell is self-taught and has been a full-time painter since 1995. She turned to art making as a hobby to de-stress from her work at a group home for teenagers experiencing developmental and psychological obstacles.
Farrell mainly works with oils and acrylics. Her use of color creates a calming effect. Her subjects, which are familiar everyday objects (including many vintage items), seem to be elevated to a higher level, conjuring up a peaceful feeling amongst the chaos of daily living. They are almost portrait-like, asking you to see their personalities.
Personally, I was drawn in by her work due to my photography interests. I often photograph objects that have been discarded or lost in hopes that their former beauty or meaningfulness in someone’s home can reveal itself again. I see some of that in Farrell’s work, too.
“When the objects started to take on a character of their own, I realized I was really painting portraits without any people in them.”
-Holly Farell
(From Garde Rail Gallery)
Image Credits (top to bottom): ©Holly Farell
Bowl, acrylic & oil on masonite, 12 x 16 inches.
Couch, 2009, acrylic & oil on masonite, 18 x 28.
Phone, 2016, acrylic & oil on masonite, 18 x 14 inches.
Gayleen Aiken (1934-2005) was a self-taught artist from Barre, Vermont. Many of her artworks feature a family of 24 imaginary cousins called the Raimbilli Cousins. She invented them when she was a child.