Michelle Seelig has always been drawn to the tactile physicality of her creative process, and her intuitive method of art-making guides the development of her images. She draws, dusts, rubs and massages charcoal into the surface of the paper, crafting her artworks in a manually intensive process that belies the naive images that result.

“Charcoal allows me to have a loud conversation and a soft conversation at once.” From a distance the drawings are large and bold, but this work draws the viewer in closer, into a more subtle conversation where the texture and tone of the work unfolds and the slow, meditative working method can be recognised.

For the past 20 years the Melbourne artist has used drawing as a means of examining life’s experiences. In her latest show ‘Growing Wings, Growing Branches’ Michelle explores themes of resilience, endurance and strength. She takes relatable images of life’s ordinary moments and layers them richly with stories of expansion and transformation. The works are an examination of the artist’s struggle to remain vulnerable whist taking her place in the world as a woman.