Local Paynesville pencil artist Cecile Michel is bringing her new exhibition, titled Still Living, to Quest Bairnsdale on Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27.
Presented as part of the East Gippsland Winter Festival, the two-day showcase highlights her signature monochrome graphite and charcoal style, which brings emotional depth to everyday still life and portraiture.
Known for transforming ordinary subjects into original works of art, Michel has been catching the attention of the Gippsland arts community. She has won multiple art prizes over the last two years and recently qualified as a finalist in the prestigious Glover Art Prize.
Still Living explores the hidden beauty and stories behind inanimate objects and emotive portraits. Instead of simply covering the stretched canvas, the artist uses make-up brushes to gently blend graphite powder into its fibres, creating a soft, almost photographic quality. This technique produces intense contrasts and subtle shadows that breathe life into her subjects.
Michel’s artistic journey in Australia began as a way to cope with homesickness. She started by sketching her childhood toys, which sparked a fascination with vintage objects from the 1980s and 1990s.
The upcoming exhibition promises to weave together themes of memory, nature, and emotional connection. Her meticulous dedication to detail allows viewers to see the beauty in mundane items and the subtle life stories etched into natural subjects, reflecting the quiet resilience and history held within each object and portrait.
Art enthusiasts are invited to experience Michel’s intimate and detailed style during the East Gippsland Winter Festival at Quest Bairnsdale, located at 11 Dalmahoy Street, Bairnsdale.
The exhibition will be open on Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27.
