Meet the Maker | Painted Harp Studio

This month at the market, we had a chance to sit down and have a chat with Mollie Lennon from Painted Harp Studio. Mollie is a 19-year-old fine artist living in the lower Hunter Valley. While talking with Mollie, you can sense creativity, especially for art, but also a passion for photography and a love of animals. Mollie spends most of her free time wandering around their farm, looking for new types of birds to photograph.

HVMAG: Can you please tell us a bit about what you do?

MOLLIE: From a young age, I found myself drawing constantly, which led to naturally wanting to improve my art. I now mainly draw Australian native wildlife in my preferred medium of coloured pencils and also offer pet portrait commissions. My work is mainly sold at local markets and art fairs.

HVMAG: How long have you been running your business?

MOLLIE: I have been building my business since 2018. Back then, I was selling my pieces at local art competitions and doing a few commissions. In 2020, I attended my first market.

HVMAG: What types of products do you sell? Who is your typical customer?

MOLLIE: I sell my original artworks, giclee fine art prints (created using a specialised inkjet printer) and pet portrait commissions. Many of my artworks consist of the local birdlife. Most of my customers are people who have a connection with birds, and they usually share their stories of birds and their antics, which is always fun to hear.

HVMAG: What materials do you use and why?

MOLLIE: All of my work is in colour pencil, using hot-pressed watercolour paper. The original artwork is then photographed, and prints are made by a local small business. Coloured pencil is my favourite medium as I love the control and details you can get from slowly building the layers of colours.

HVMAG: When can you find Painted Harp Studio at Handmade in the Hunter markets?

MOLLIE: Most Saturdays I can be found drawing original artworks and selling them at Handmade in the Hunter markets. Follow me on both Instagram and Facebook to learn more.