Michelle Wilkin is an artist with a gift for uncovering beauty from bare simplicity, through her captivating works of abstract minimalism. Living in Auckland with her husband and two children, Michelle finds inspiration in both the rhythms of family life and the natural world around her, allowing intuition to guide her creative process.
The journey to becoming a full-time artist wasn’t a straight path for Michelle. Growing up in a highly academic family driven by the pursuit of success, she set painting aside to build a thriving career in the creative industry. After spending a decade in Toronto, Canada—where she excelled as an award-winning Creative Director and co-owner of the cult-favourite Pilot Coffee Roasters—Michelle returned to New Zealand in 2022, ready to rediscover her passion for art.
In contrast to the fast-paced career she left behind, Michelle’s artworks offer a soothing escape from the chaos of modern life. Her love of modern design, interiors, and storytelling shines through in her process. By leaving her canvas unprimed, she allows her signature neutral acrylic palette to soak in and desaturate, resulting in a distinctive softness that feels both nostalgic and calming. Each piece is an intuitive balance of subtle details and intentional simplicity, creating spaces where tranquillity and splendour coexist.
Today, Michelle’s atmospheric pieces have found homes across the globe, attracting a loyal following of admirers—including Turua Gallery, of course! To see her art in person is to understand it’s more than something to hang on a wall—it’s a gentle reminder to embrace stillness and find beauty in the quiet moments.
Spectrum Series
Sensorial Mood Blends
Introducing SPECTRUMS ~ a series of abstract minimalism original fine artworks inspired by the sensory effects that colour has on our moods.
Each artwork is a perfect blend of two opposing yet complementary colour tones, it engages the viewer to sink into their thoughts and embrace the full spectrum before them. As the hues begin to merge other colours present themselves, our senses are activated, and memories awakened.
With titles that add further to each piece, this body of work emplores the viewer to dive into the phenomenon of synesthesia (where our sensory pathways cross); colour can be tasted, words can be felt and smells can be heard.
Michelle uses raw unprimed natural canvas for her minimalist artworks as it acts like a sponge and absorbs the paint. Not only does this desaturate the colour creating a more realistic and natural hue, but it blends the paints more freely, soaking into the canvas to create a softer, almost nostalgic finish to her work.
