About Michele Lane
Drawing and painting have always been important to Michele – especially as an integral expression of her appreciation of the bush and nature. Her love for the natural world around her started with childhood camping holidays and has continued through outback travels, bushwalks and over 30 years of visiting Kangaroo Island.
Like others who have found a fascination for Kangaroo Island at the heart of their work as artists, Michele completely changed her career path as the lure of painting became an overwhelming constant in her life. She talks about this major shift of direction, and where she hopes to take her art in the future:
After two decades as a GP, I’m now pursuing my art full-time, having completed an arts degree at Adelaide College of the Arts, with a focus on Printmaking and four years study in oil painting at Bapea Art School.
For four of the past five years I’ve exhibited at the Kangaroo Island Easter Art Exhibition. In 2008, 2009 three of my works received Highly Commended awards. In 2009 and 2010 I won the Exhibition’s First Prize in consecutive years, and again in 2018.
A long-term relationship between artist and gallery
Fine Art Kangaroo Island is proud to represent Michele and has been privileged to have her work on display in the gallery from our earliest beginnings. In fact, Michelle is one of the artists whose work appeared in the inaugural KI SALA exhibition How do we love thee? Let us count the ways…. at the National Wine Centre in 2010.
Now a regular exhibitor, Michele’s artistic focus has evolved from landscape painting to drawing and working across printmaking and installation art.
My artwork oscillates between large format, highly detailed etchings of landscape and delicate renderings of small nature in the refined manner of still life.
Kangaroo Island is a key inspiration. I love the groupings of narrow-leaf mallee along the roadside verges the proximity of bush to farmland sets up an interplay between the manicured paddock spaces and the informal sculptural shapes of the native vegetation.
The Lane family’s involvement with Island Beach began in 1985. Times spent there with her young family walking the scrub, bird watching and on the beach have been another major influence on Michele’s interest in drawing and painting. This connection with the island now also includes a property at American River where she and her husband have established a vineyard and begun an ambitious program to restore the native bush.
On display at the inaugural Kangaroo Island Airport Art Exhibition
The (En)titled Space is an exquisitely composed Copperplate etching which features gouache hand colouring and white out. Yes, the plain and unimpressive white stuff the rest of us use in our efforts to salvage something from our admin mistakes, Michele has turned into a stunning art medium! Winner of the coveted Peter Walker Award at the Kangaroo Island Easter Art Exhibition in 2018, this piece must be seen to be truly appreciated.
Find more of Michele Lane’s paintings and wood cut prints at Fine Art Kangaroo Island
With her recent works winning yet more awards, and a constant ability to surprise the viewer with breathtaking glimpses of nature’s simplicity rendered with achingly complex technique, Michelle will always be among those South Australian artists sought after for their ability to create meaningful works whilst constantly experimenting. For her, painting and printing is not only a technical exercise. She also hopes it will reveal to others an inner beauty and uniqueness in the landscapes that she loves – and that this appreciation will encourage us all to protect these very special environments.
You’ll find more of Michele Lane’s copper and steel-plate etchings at Fine Art Kangaroo Island.