About

Ellen Michel - An Artists Life

Ellen Michel is an acclaimed and prolific oil painter whose practice is rooted in a profound dialogue with the Australian landscape, from the bushlands of Melbourne to the remote desert regions of the Pilbara. A lifetime of artistic inquiry, informed by her formal studies in Art History and Anthropology, has established Michel as a significant colourist and an eloquent visual chronicler.

Her work serves as a profound inquiry into the nature of journey, observation, and the sublime in the seemingly ordinary. Through her art, Michel explores a deep-seated and spiritual response to human presence within natural systems.

Her work is a comprehensive reflection on a life lived in creative observation and is represented in public and private collections across Australia and internationally.

Recently, Ellen’s artistic language has expanded to encompass an epic anthology of poetry, providing a new dimension to her practice. Watch this space for the Launch of ‘Sounds of the Sphere’

In addition to her creative work, Ellen Michel is also a widely recognized and remarkable oil painting teacher.

Solo & Group Exhibitions

Artmakers Studio Gallery opening exhibition, Heidelberg (Solo Exhibition), 2018

Pilbara Artist Retreat and exhibition at Yarrie Station (Group Exhibition), 2010

Finding the Heart Beat of Northcote, Doctors of Northcote, Northcote (Solo Exhibition), 2004

Serpent’s Mouth Open, Doing Art Studio, Melbourne (Solo Exhibition), 2000

On the road to Rhodes, Fitzroy Gallery, Melbourne (Solo Exhibition), 1998

Veritas Galleria, Eldorado (Solo Exhibition), 1989
Olive Lodge, Oxley (Solo Exhibition), 1988

Awards and Prizes
o 1999 Grand Prize, Wangaratta Art Show (Art Gallery Council Collection)
o 1992 Prize, Mornington Rotary Art Show
o 1991 Prize, Warragul Rotary Art Show
o 1990 First Prize, Hamilton Art Show
o 1990 Best Painting, Wimmera Art Show
o 1990 Miniature Prize, Bright Art Show
o 1990 Grand Prize, Wangaratta Art Show (Art Gallery Council Collection)
o 1989 Grand Prize, Wangaratta Art Show (Art Gallery Council Collection)
o 1987 Grand Prize, Wangaratta Art Show (Art Gallery Council Collection)
o 1987 Australian Rural Prize, Wangaratta Collection
o 1986 Australian Rural Prize, Wangaratta Collection

Commissions
2008-10 Commission for 44 oil paintings, Austin Repatriation Hospital, Melbourne

2008 Wild Wonder Wisdom, Panels of Australian flora, fauna, water land, and sea, Doncaster Primary School, Doncaster

2007 In the Flow, Facade mural, North Yarra Community Health Centre

2006 Meditation Garden, Rosanna Fire Station Community House

2004-2005 Wall of the Imagination and Sculpture, Watsonia Neighbourhood House

2004-2005 Serpents Head path, Mia Mia Gallery, Westerfolds Park

Collections

Wangaratta Art Gallery Council Collection (multiple acquisitions)

Wangaratta Collection (multiple acquisitions)

Public and private collections across Australia and internationally