Michele Johnsen

Michele Johnsen (b. 1952, Long Island, New York) has spent a life time as an artist and maker. She has owned and operated The Studio since 1996 where she did all manner of commercial work along with framing and sign painting.

She began a foray into the fine art world during this time and produced a large number of portrait pieces for a wide variety of clientele. In 2001 she received a Bachelor of Science degree from Granite State College in Art Education and spent 15 years teaching art in the Colebrook School System to students in grades 1 through 12. She received a Master of Fine Art degree from New Hampshire Institute of Art in January of 2017 and retired from teaching in 2020 to devote her time to her artistic practice full time.

She’s been instrumental in establishing several art associations in the Colebrook area including Lovering Mountain Arts, Colebrook Arts and the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts and is currently on the board of the Connecticut River Artisan Group and The Tillotson Center for the Arts.

Her work has been included in a long list of group and solo shows around the country that include The NH Institute of Art Biennial, Manchester, NH, Climate Gallery in Long Island City, NY, The Shaw Gallery in Keene, NH, Soo Rye Gallery in Rye, NH and Exeter Fine Crafts in Exeter, NH, The Library Arts Center in Newport, NH and is currently represented by the WREN Gallery in Bethlehem, NH and Three Sister’s in Gorham, NH.

She’s been the recipient of many awards and accolades, among them the Winner of the 1st Night NH Logo Competition in Concord and the People’s Choice Award for the Hanover Chamber Orchestra. She recently appeared on the cover of the NH Public Radio Annual Christmas Card and was a 2020 and 2022 Selection Winner at the Juried Region Exhibition, Library Art Center in Newport, NH. Her work appears in several corporate and museum collections including the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts, The Coos County Court House and The Colebrook District Court House. Works in major publications include The Best of Colored Pencil II & III, Creative Colored Pencil, The Cover of the March NH Bar Journal, Studio Visit, Volume forty-three and The Best in American Watermedia by Kennedy Publishers. She was also a recent guest on the Artist/Mother Podcast.

Michele’s work was featured ‘Wish List’ on view December 9-22, 2023.

“This work represents the artist’s connection to the land, trees and magic of the understory of Northern New Hampshire.”

Michele Johnsen