Artist Statement

The Beauty of Age by Michaela Laurie

The bonsai to me is a representation of our fragile world, of life, experience and of aging. Take care of it and it will thrive. Support it when it needs help and it will go on to reward you. Repair when it has fallen and emphasise the skill in the repair, the beauty of the so called flaw. The supports and repairs only go to make it more beautiful and full of character.

View more of Michaela’s work in the current Exhibition at our Canberra Art Gallery.

About the Artist

Michaela Laurie is a Visual Artist based in country New South Wales just south of Canberra.

I am fascinated by the layering of line and colour to create texture and a sense of place. My technique involves scribbling with pen and ink, using washes of acrylic paint followed by “painting’ with coloured pencils. The coloured pencils’ waxy consistency allows for translucent, rich colour by blending, layering and glazing of the pencil marks. The combination of paint, ink and coloured pencil, allows for areas of light and dark to be created giving a very 3D effect.

I bring these techniques to my subjects including landscape, islands in the bay, bonsai gardens and still life subjects. I like to bring elements of magic into my interpretation of the landscape to create a touch of whimsy and make it somewhat fantastical. I see a world of calm moody stillness with elements appearing from my imagination and my childhood. The man-made elements invite the viewer to enter the landscape and imagine walking through and interacting with it.

I create both large and small works. My small work falls into the miniature category as it is 100 square centimetres or less in size. The subjects are at least 1/10th life size and the pen, pencil and paint marks are very tiny.

In 2016 my work was selected to hang in the Salon des Refuses Exhibition at the National Trust’s S.H. Ervin Gallery in Sydney, Australia as one of 24 out of over 700 Wynne Prize Entries. This exhibition also travelled to the Mornington Peninsular Regional Gallery in Victoria. In 2017 I was awarded Honourable Mention at the Chelsea International Art Competition in New York, won 1st place for Miniature Art at The Royal Canberra Show and 1st place for Mixed Media Miniature at the National Awards for Miniature Art in Sydney.