This Dancer Fuses Her Love of Ballet and Art Into Beautiful Paintings
Growing up in Hong Kong, Margot Hallac always knew she had a knack for the arts. After training in ballet as a child and teen, she eventually found herself focusing on visual arts and moved to New York City to study at the Parsons School of Design. Now a graphic designer, she’s since resumed her dance training—and is melding her talents together.
Outside of her day job, Hallac started creating her own artwork and noticed that the subject matter was gravitating towards ballet. Shortly after, Pointebrush was born. Not only does she frequently share her work on the site and its wildly popular Instagram account (with over 15,000 followers), she also sells her unique designs on phone cases, mugs, t-shirts, and as framed prints. We caught up with Hallac to hear more about her stunning ballerina art and where she draws inspiration for her work.
When and why did you start Pointebrush?
I started the Pointebrush concept about two years ago. My day job requires me to be on the computer a lot and I was really missing the hands-on aspect of art that I used to get when I made art for myself. Very soon I noticed that my subject matter was starting to gravitate more towards dance, and more specifically ballet. I figured it would be fun to share it on Instagram rather than just let it sit and collect dust under my desk. The name “Pointebrush” was something I just came up with on the fly because to me, it seemed like a short and clever way to express the two things I love: “pointe” and “brush”, both symbols of an artist’s tools in ballet and art respectively.
How quickly did the following grow?
Within a few weeks of starting my Instagram account, I saw my following skyrocket exponentially. It was such a surprise! I was delighted to see my artwork shared by dancers at all stages of their careers and training and from all over the world. I’ve gotten messages and letters about how my art has inspired some of them to try painting or sign up for their first ballet class. That, to me, makes the whole process 100 percent worth it.
Where do you draw inspiration for your work?
I truly believe that inspiration is all around us, it’s just about taking the time to notice it. Music is a big one—I often play some of my favorite pieces of classical music and let my imagination take me where it wants to go. Anything super romantic or dramatic really moves me, both in ballet and on paper. I also find inspiration from my fellow ballet classmates and my amazing teacher, Dorit Koppel. I particularly enjoy visualizing corrections received in class. My son, who I had about 15 months ago, has been a tremendous source of inspiration for me as well.
What is your favorite work you’ve done?
I’m a big believer that ballet should be for everyone. There have been huge strides in the right direction, but we’re still nowhere near the ideal world where you would be able to see dancers of different ethnicities and body types represented in all ballet companies. I aspire to represent diversity in my art, and one of my recent series represents that:
Follow Hallac on Instagram (@Pointebrush) or check out her website. Hallac is giving away one Sleeping Beauty print to a Pointe reader. Click here to enter.