Afternoon Hush at the Hawkduns, Fall's Dam, Central Otago Painting

Michelle Bellamy has been interested in art from a very early age. At 15 she started exhibiting with the Rutherford Gallery, in Nelson. She grew up and was educated in Nelson with her parents and two younger sisters and brother. Michelle is a second generation New Zealander with Central/Northern European grandparents who were both artists. Spare time involved heated drawing competitions between family members, and expeditions into the outdoors. Michelle is mainly self-taught, although both parents are artists, her mother a illustrator, and father a painter and photographer. She gained valuable knowledge and critiques of her paintings from them as her skills developed over the years. A painting would be finished and both parents would have to evaluate it before it could leave for the gallery. Michelle started painting works early in high school, and sold them in local cafes. By 16 she was represented by the Rutherford Gallery, at 17 she started painting full-time. After two very successful solo exhibitions in 2007 and 2008, she has now established herself as a highly regarded and sought after artist throughout New Zealand. The surrounding countryside of Nelson, and further south were inspiring landscapes for Bellamy. She had extensively explored the Boulder Bank Baches and based two exhibitions around them, as she enjoys the originality and rustic appeal. Michelle resides up the brook in Nelson, New Zealand where her eye is drawn coastward, and the body of work she is currently working on is based around coastal baches and boatsheds. Michelle has worked in all mediums but has a great love for the special qualities that acrylic paint offers. Acrylics suit her temperament and particular way of working with paint. She paints on boards, canvas, canvas boards and linen boards. She has a realistic contemporary style, but always portrays old subject matter. The majority of the subjects she chooses are under dispute whether to eradicate them or not. Therefore, throughout her work she is always looking to record a small part of New Zealand history. Over the past few years Michelle has enjoyed working abroad in such inspiring places as Switzerland, Italy, and whilst travelling across Canada. However the beauty of New Zealand draws her back, and she has a deep personal bias for New Zealand vistas.