Michelle studied art on a rarely awarded Art Scholarship at Millfield and in Florence under Signorina Simi who lists Annigoni as one of her pupils. Michelle has held 17 solo exhibitions in London, Palm Beach, Marrakech and Dubai, and collectors of her work include HRH The King of Bahrain, Bruce Oldfield, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, Mahdi Al Tajir and Tom Stoppard.
Michelle is inspired by primeval landscapes and their wild creatures, on her travels to India, Africa, Oman and the UAE. Michelle has given substance to her ideas born in the silence of the desert and the solitude of the wilderness. She chooses subjects that are powerful and challenging but always her affinity with them is paramount. Her honest approach and distinctive draftsmanship is apparent in each cast bronze and faithfully executed drawing, achieving greater perception into their individual characteristics.
Michelle divides her time between her home in Oxfordshire and her studios in London and South Africa where one of her favourite places is Tenikwa situated on the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It is a wildlife rehabilitation centre set up by Mandy and Len Freeman. They take injured, abandoned and displaced animals, rehabilitate and when ready return them to the wild. Tenikwa allows Michelle to spend hours of sketching time close up without being a threat (or vice versa). Michelle says, “I have had the privilege to walk with several of the Cheetah including Simbali, Chester, Shaka and Thandi. They, in turn, have been painted for posterity.” Michelle enriches our understanding of the fragility, power and beauty of these animals and the knife-edge of their life in the wild.
See Michelle at work
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