Oil on canvas panel, framed in natural oak

33.5 x 33.5cm

Michele Owen is an Australian artist who is intrigued by the power of places to ‘call’ people. Her creative practice interprets the natural locations that call her. She creates evocative paintings in oil and acrylic that merge the essence of a place with an instinctual response to being there.

Michele’s work is inspired by her passion for travel to regional destinations throughout Australia and internationally. She records impressions of these experiences in small explorative plein-air paintings and sketches that capture the spirit of a place and later prompt more intuitive studio works. Her recent body of work responds to time spent in Sofala and Hill End in central NSW and The Grampians in western Victoria.

Her paintings on canvas, board and paper feature distinctive earthy colours in oil, acrylic and gouache. She builds a rich surface of layered texture and loose mark making with brush and knife that reveals the history of her process and reflects the timeworn land. She often situates the viewer hovering within an expansive landscape of distant space enveloped in drenching or mysterious light.

Michele divides her time between the natural beauty of country and coastal Victoria. She lives on a small rural property with a spacious airy studio nestled in hills near the stunning Yarra Valley, and also part-time at Point Lonsdale at the spectacular entrance to Port Philip Bay.

An insatiable curiosity and a desire for continuous learning led Michele to a meandering career. She has worked in advertising agencies, magazine publishing, communications, project management, and as a health practitioner. Formal studies in design and colour reignited her early love of painting. She has continued her artistic journey by studying independently with respected Australian and international teachers and draws influence from the impressionists and post impressionists.

Michele is a full time artist and has exhibited in group shows in Melbourne and Sydney. She engages in creative collaborations, most recently with an Australian fashion label to create a textile collection. Michele accepts commissions and welcomes visitors to her studio all year by appointment and through the acclaimed Nillumbik Artists Open Studios program.