In the Studio with Artist Mia Halton

Mia Halton grew up in a family of artists, including her maternal grandparents and mother. She remembers her early art-making as both a refuge and a way to make sense of the emotional vagaries of family life. During Halton’s years as an undergraduate she encountered the work of Jean Dubuffet. He was a seminal discovery for her, for his ability not only to access the dark side of inner life but also show us the humor in it.  

From the beginning the role of figures was central, ranging from cartoon-­‐like, graphic images to more gestural forms. It is the pictorial space between the figures and forms that has continually evolved in Halton’s prints, drawings, and paintings.

Her recent body of work displays a growing vocabulary of mark-­‐making, a refinement of technique and a deepening psychological engagement. In 2013 a family tragedy precipitated her beginning to use clay. The physicality of the material allowed Halton to explore her emotions while also opening up to new ways of looking at the larger social issues brought up by the tragic event.

She has shown extensively throughout the U.S. Venues include the Orange County Museum of Art, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore Clayworks, OK Harris in New York, Gallery K in Washington D.C., Malton Gallery in Cleveland, and the Creative Alliance in Baltimore, and the McLean Project for the Arts in Virginia. Her work has been included in numerous private and public collections.

She was recently awarded the A.I.R. Vallauris in France, and a solo exhibition at Stevenson University.

Mia has also been an incredible ceramics instructor at the Chesapeake Arts Center for the last 4 years, so we wanted to make sure that we highlighted Mia in our blog.

Here’s Mia talking about her art, process and experience:

Rumor Mill by Mia Halton

What art do you most identify with? Art Brut, Jean Dubuffet, art done by kids and people with developmental challenges 

When did you realize you were an artist? Most of my family are artists. I realized I was an artist when my father tried many times to talk me out of doing it, and I never backed down. 

How did you get into your art/side-gig? When I graduated from college I thought; “Hmm….well, I know I don’t want to teach.” However, I’ve done it all of my working life and loved it ever since then. 

What are you currently working on? I’m currently working on large sculptures of women, a series on growing up as a white girl in suburbia, and I’m creating an enormous embroidery with names of women who have shaped our lives 

What's your favorite piece of artwork that you have created and why? My current favorite piece of my own is a sculpture called “Rapunzel”- on my website in New Work 

What food, drink, song inspires you? I’m currently inspired by contemporary music from Latin countries. I’m learning Spanish and will hopefully will be traveling soon to Mexico for a residency 

What memorable responses have you had to your work? I was at Baltimore Clayworks, where I have studio space and a young girl was washing her hands at the sink. She was too short to reach the faucet so she was standing on a stool. I was at a table next to her putting several sculptures of women into a large box. I didn’t like them and was going to throw them away. She asked me to tell her about them, so I did. She studied them for a minute and said, “They look like what you wanted.” She turned around, resumed washing her hands, and started singing a Christmas carol. I decided to keep the sculptures and they’ve been very well received. 

What work do you most enjoy creating? When I get “lost” in the making of it, that’s the art I most enjoy creating 

What’s your favorite quote? “Unravel the Patriarchy”

What role does the artist have in society? Artists reflect us as a culture, we suggest the future, we can be truth-tellers, irritants, inspirations 

What’s your dream job? Dream job is teaching ceramics to groups of developmentally challenged people 

Is there any local artist that Inspire you? If so, who and why? Laure Dragoul- she’s the quintessential entrepreneur. She’s “out there”, fearless, kind, and generous. She continually reinvents herself in her work.

For more information on Mia, visit her website at www.miahalton.com, or follow on Instagram @mia.halton and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mia.halton.3