Kristen Harrington - Artist & Designer & Michael S. Ryan - Musician

Though born and raised in a small farming community in rural Nova Scotia, Kristen Herrington has called Halifax home for more than a decade. She is a prolific abstract painter and designer, with a particular interest in collaborative works. She studied -what she calls- the artist’s “thing” for her Master’s thesis as an avenue to explore the relationship between the creative individual working in a capitalist society. Through this research, Kristen discovered her own “thing” and has been working on that artistic evolution for the past 6 years.

She identifies as a “fluid-artist”, capturing life’s overlooked moments or ideas on her canvasses. Additionally, she uses digital images of her work to make fabrics for items such as yoga mats, leggings and furniture reupholstery. Her work has been showcased in galleries and shops throughout the province and other parts of Canada.

Michael S. Ryan is the solo project of singer, multi-instrumentalist and frontman for the award-winning Alt-Rock group The Town Heroes. As a prolific songwriter with more than 500 unrecorded songs, Michael S. Ryan highlights Ryan’s Folk oriented influences and allows him to explore various avenues of songwriting and performing. A natural storyteller with a desire to entertain, Ryan’s ability to connect with an audience is unparalleled. Known for his banter, crowd engagement and comical stories, his goal as an entertainer is to transport the listener to a world where they believe anything is possible.

At the root of every song is a passionate exploration of the things that make us all human. Whether good or bad, they’re the things that make us who we are – heartache, love, the socioeconomic struggles of rural Canada, dreams and family. His songs fluctuate between lush, multi-instrumented arrangements to stripped-down acoustic ballads á la Bon Iver. Lyrically and thematically, they’re driven by personal experiences and the human condition.

Husband and wife creatives, Michael and Kristen are teaming up for their first collaborative art project. “From the Bottoms of Our Murky Hearts” is the debut album from Michael S. Ryan as a solo performer. Each song on the album will have a coinciding painting — of the same name — that will be Herrington’s visual representation of the mood, lyrics, melody and themes of Michael’s soundscapes.

Check Kristen out @Kristenherrington.art

Check Michael out @Michael_S_Ryan

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