Hatjoullis, Michael

Biography

Mike Hatjoullis was brought up in Blackpool and taught Printed Textiles at Liverpool School of Art for over 20 years. When he took early retirement, Mike decided he was going to spend the rest of his life perfecting his own work. In that time he has become a master of printmaking, a member of the National Association of Painters in Acrylic and has focused on capturing the city of Liverpool.

Statement

‘I usually work directly on site, outdoors often in the gardens of a local park when I am painting. I use heavy weight watercolour paper and Finity acrylic paints starting with a coloured ground. Applying the ground gets me started. The advantage of acrylics is that they are quick drying – you can build up layers and make changes quickly – ideal for working outside.’

‘I love to make prints, they are democratic, everyone can have one, they’re pretty much the same each time and the artist gets to keep the original lino which is a piece of art in itself.’