Michelle Cawthorn
Kimberley, 2021
pigment print, ink and acrylic on archival cotton rag paper
110 x 80 cm

Artist statement

Whenever I hear the call of an Australian Raven it generates a strong trigger to memories of childhood holidays spent on the NSW south coast. Nowadays my home and studio are situated on the edge of the Royal National Park and my day is punctuated by birdcall. This led me to consider how birdsong can link memory with place. Adapting the collaborative Surrealist technique of 'exquisite corpse', I pair digital renders of bird heads by the colonial era Sydney Bird Painter, with my own hatched drawings in pen and ink, to imaginatively reflect a visual expression of my aural experience.

Artist bio

Michelle Cawthorn is a multidisciplinary artist who invokes memory and personal experience through a process of repetitive mark making. Exploring themes related to childhood, identity and place, she creates intricate and enigmatic works that hover between abstraction and figuration. Though grounded in drawing, her practice intersects with painting, sculpture, and installation. 

Cawthorn has exhibited in a range of public and commercial galleries, been the recipient of competitive grants and scholarships, and holds a PhD in Fine Art from UNSW. Her artwork is held in several Australian public collections, including ARTBANK, and she is represented by OLSEN Gallery, Sydney.

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