Michelle Walker

Artist statement

Through my art, I create objects and images that say visually what I feel about where I’ve lived and what I’ve learned from life. Nature has been a great teacher through the cycles of life, death and transition. I am fascinated by the harmony and contrast of colour I see in the bush, and the patterns that repeat and capture my attention. I find that through admiring and noticing nature “out there” I also notice my own inner nature… the strengths and imperfections, the debris and new shoots.

I layer colors, play with space and shape, and contrast the solid with the translucent—the defined with the veiled, the remembered with the forgotten—to replicate the layered nature of our experiences and our connections to where we have been.

I love exploring symbols and icons and use motifs such as the meandering line as the focal point of many of my works. My interest resonates with journeying through the landscape (travels) and life’s experiences (reflections). My morning walks with Lulu on our farm are a constant in my day and have become a part of my practice —being in and observing nature and my own emotional responses.

“The land, and even the spirit of a place, can be experienced kinetically… as well as visually… a place can be felt as an extension of the body, especially the walking body, passing through and becoming part of the landscape.” Lucy Lippard