We recently connected with Michael Wallner and have shared our conversation below.
Michael , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I ALWAYS knew I wanted to be in the creative world. I carried a camera with me at all times from a very young age. One of my teachers, who taught me when I was 8, went onto a very successful career in televison. He often let me sit in on show rehearsals. This got me hooked. Years later I worked with him as a television producer.
I loved being in television, but I still yearned to be an artist one day…
Michael , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
When I visited Wimbledon Art Studios I was blown away – more than 200 artists of all kinds created their work there. I made a decision that day to give up my television career and rent a studio there.
And I’ve never regretted that decision for a single second.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The art community is the most supportive and tolerant groups I’ve been involved with. Since I moved into Wimbledon Art Studios in South London in 2012 I have learnt so much about my practice. I couldn’t have progressed without them.
I take part in a lot of shows and exhibitions, which can be exhausting, but also exciting and exhillarating. The togetherness of the artists there and the support of the visitors is very uplifting.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When lockdown finished we hadn’t shown our work in real life for more than 2 years. I’m a member of ARRTI Gallery, a London art collective featuring artists from local studios. The members: LoveJordan, Ella Friere, Rose Long, Susan Bunn, and myself pitched an idea to take over an empty store in a shopping centre.
They loved our proposal and we transformed a huge shop into a sparkling new gallery. The feedback was amazing, with more than 18,000 visitors in the 9 months we are open.
It was a huge amount of work to get the project off the ground and to man the gallery too, but we did it! It’s one of my proudest achievements as an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michaelwallnerart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelwallner_art
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelwallnerart/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwallner
- Youtube: UCjMXPpqMI1iEBWuD7Q161tg
- Other: Threads: https://www.threads.net/@michaelwallner_art
Image Credits
All images and art created by Michael Wallner Art