Michelle Brodie is a painter based in Bolwarra, north west of Newcastle NSW. She studied fine art at Gymea Tafe and Canberra School of Art in the 1980s. In 1997 she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales, majoring in philosophy. She currently exhibits widely in Newcastle, teaches painting and drawing at Newcastle Art School and was a founding member of Pandora Women Artists Group.
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| Michelle Brodie, Silent type, 2009, gouache on paper, 10 x 15 cm |
My practice is largely concerned with questions of the imagined self and what constitutes memories of self. Portraiture, abstraction, reinvention, identity and nature all inform my drawings and paintings.
A thematic question recurrent in my practice is, "If I could invent myself what would I look like?" I study natural forms that suggest anthropomorphism and use these in my work by transforming them into a "new form" that becomes the invented self. I track my emotional response to site, place and self through drawings, collage and paintings.
My organic, hybrid, symbolic portraits and abstractions are both a reflection of myself and nature as I see it. In constructing images I draw on an elemental response to the environment, finding metaphors for the self. The images I create become symbols for ideas. For example, drawings depicting rocky summits connect to Neitzsche’s idea of the arduous climb being a necessary struggle for the joy of reaching the peak.
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| Michelle Brodie, Desiree, 2010, mixed media, 30 x 40 cm |
Growing up on Sydney’s eastern beaches left a lasting impression. Now, as a regional artist my studio is inland. This means there are few opportunities to bring into my work the nuances of the coast. A residency at Gunyah would provide an opportunity to document my experience of coastal ecology and to explore further two integral subjects of my current practice: small interesting rocks and the heads of parrots.
On a residency at Gunyah I intend to create a body of work that will evolve as a "Diary of observations, inventions and imaginings" in which I will explore intuitively the surrounding environment. As a starting point I will document in ink on paper my response to the atmosphere of the site. By night, I plan to explore my day’s work with oil paint on box board. This will be produced for exhibition at Podspace Gallery later this year.
(Michelle Brodie, Gunyah AIR proposal 2012)
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| Michelle Brodie, Redhead, 2010, oil on paper, 30 x 40 cm |
To see more of Michelle Brodie's work go to www.michellebrodieartist.blogspot.com
