The National Arts Program Foundation Logo

Michelle Hawran

Artist Michelle Hawran sitting on the ground with her black cat smiling up at the camera. There is a plant behind her.
Michelle Hawran is a visual artist born, raised, and based in Windsor, Connecticut. She is known for her vibrant acrylic and oil paintings depicting nostalgic memories of people and places, aiming to capture the joyful feeling of living in the moment. Since graduating with a BFA from the University of Connecticut in 2016, Michelle splits her time between creating colorful paintings of her own family’s past, crafting meaningful commissions for her clients of their own memories, and teaching all mediums of art at the Windsor Art Center.
Classification: Adult Professional
Artist Website
Furby Brady
An oil painting of the Brady Bunch title screen, but a Furby is in the center in place of Alice.
Porter Wedding (commission)
A couple from the 1980s on their wedding day. They are in front of a beautiful lake with lots of greenery. The paint is chunky and colorful oil paint.
Swing
A two year old boy on a swing. He's all the way swung back. The background is black and dark green, and he's wearing green overalls. It is a brushy, vintage-y vibe.
Water Pump
A mid century father is outside with his three kids, greenery in the background. He is showing them how to use a pump water fountain. The kids look on in amazement.
Sad Clown
A chunky oil painting of a sad clown dressed in teal. He is seated on a little red chair, holding up a sign of a smiley face. But he's clearly sad.
Yellow Car
A mid century dressed two year old boy reaching for a yellow toy car. There is strong lighting with a black and dark green room background.
Pool
A teenage boy playing pool in a mid century, wood paneled basement. There is another boy halfway off the canvas on the left side.
Sally
A mid century looking female rodeo clown on a round canvas. Her makeup is smudged. She's not terrifying, but a little off putting. Her hair is green and she has a teal cowboy hat with a yellow flower on the brim.
Labor Day
A family on their last picnic outing of the summer season. It's Labor Day. The mom is off to the left setting up food on a table while the dad is bending down tending to the baby in his carseat. A preteen girl has her back to the camera, dressed in all white, heading towards her mom.
Fred Sr (at 93)
A chunky oil painting of an old man aged 93. He's smiling at the camera in front of a white background.
The Recital
A little mid century girl wearing a bear ballet costume in preparation for a recital. She doesn't look thrilled The background is very pale green.
Horses (Commission)
Two little girls from afar on white horses. And older girl is leading in the front. The landscape around them is colorful and dry, like a dessert.
Wonder Bread
A mid century man preparing a sandwich with wonder bread in his pink and blue kitchen. He's smiling at the camera.
"I Spy" West Hartford Dog Project
A white dog sculpture painted with dozens of tiny little objects, such as hearts, fruit, plants, logos, toys, etc.
Lake
A brushy, figurative pairing of a mid century family at a lake. A woman is getting out of the water, two boys are further back on rafts, and a teenager has his back to the camera and is sitting in a green folding chair.
Winter
Two mid century children playing in the snow. The girl is holding a big snow chunk while the boy in a red snow suit bends down to pick up more snow. There are trees in the background.