Michelle is a mother of three, born and raised in Kempsey, Dunghutti Country. While she has dabbled with art throughout her life, including winning a local youth art competition at the age of 20, she has only begun to take it more seriously over the past 12 months or so.
Her father is an Aboriginal artist with a traditional style and she feels she inherited her creativity from him, but with her own contemporary flare. She uses a distinctive colour palette incorporating the use of metallic paints, including her signature colour – gold.
Personal trauma in her past has led to Michelle using art as a coping mechanism and an outlet to express her thoughts and feelings in a creative and productive way. She doesn’t start with a specific plan in mind, rather she lets the flow of the paint and her mood guide her creativity as she works.
To further develop her artistic skill, Michelle is currently studying Aboriginal Cultural Arts at Kempsey TAFE. While she mostly uses acrylic paint on canvas, she has had the opportunity to experiment with different mediums during her course, and has enjoyed experimenting with gel block carving and print making.
Michelle says that she is “grateful for the opportunity and ability to share her creativity with others”.