Hi, I’m Michael.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Illustration in 2020 where I spent 3 years honing and developing my fine art skills. I’ve always enjoyed being creative, even as a young kid growing up in South Africa, frequently making mud bowls and grass soups in our family garden. I’ve always enjoyed expressing my creative side, playing with new and exciting ways to fill my sketchbooks – sometimes ending up with a complete mess or making sketches that just didn’t make the cut.

During the pandemic, I began filling my space with objects that made me happy. And lots and lots of plants! Now that the world is a bit brighter, I have used these objects to create pieces that reflect this. What better way to have fun than to splash colour into the classic still life?

Emerging from the pandemic relatively unscathed, I decided it was time to rediscover those dusty tubes of acrylics and oils tucked away in my studio desk drawers. I wanted to explore the intriguing complexities of how these paints react and perform, paying particular attention to the playfulness of colour, texture and shape.

In my latest body of work, I have emphasised those beloved objects that have enlivened and occupied my home. I wanted to create a vibrant, eye-catching body of work that showcased snippets of my life. Pottery, plants and ornamental knick-knacks, these trinkets allowed me to share my personality with the viewer, inviting them to look for the simple joys in life.

Outside of covering canvases with imperfect pops of colour, I am a full-time Illustrator and Graphic. Now approaching a year in this digitally based role, I have found that using my hands to create tangible, traditional art has become a soul-soothing experience.

My mission as an artist is to fill people's lives (and walls) with the same feeling and atmosphere that my colourful still lifes share with me.