About the Artist

Michelle Searle

A proud Awabakal women, wife, and mother of three boys. Michelle shares a passion for all sports, favouring AFL and supporting the Geelong acts where she lives. Michelle supports and encourages her boys to understand the importance of culture, connections, and respect om all aspects of their lives and participate and give back to the local Wathaurong community.

Michelle has always loved art and has reconnected her painting during the past 5 years. Michelle's paintings are all hand done as the strokes of the brush show depth and meaning.

Michelle has completed commission pieces scattered across the state including pieces at the Geelong Police Station, Shepperton court, Ballarat Education Dept, many local schools and day care centres and the Department of Families Fairness and housing. Michelle has also donated pieces to raise money for charities, and local sporting clubs.

A small range of her art can be found on Michelle’s face book page Mish Mash Aboriginal Arts and Crafts. Michelle’s pieces are designed and painted with stories of connections that have been developed with the acquired community.

Written Description of Artwork

"As Aboriginal people we tell our stories and learn through art and painting and wanted to share a design that is meaningful to me. Understanding the importance of coming together, sharing, caring, and supporting one another.

My design starts at the top, the stars representing the meeting place, under one sky we all come together and meet as one. By the direction of the stars, we can navigate our pathways to come together.  This strong circle, the meeting place the hoops representing the people, the various dots and circles represent the things we bring to share with one another including food, flowers, and knowledge. Aboriginal people are hunters and gatherers, and we do this together sharing food and caring for one another. The circle also representing the kinship model we share as Aboriginal people and taking a village to care for our children.

The roots representing the different life choices that are placed before us these can lead us down many different pathways in life. The bands represent the emotional journey’s that these events may take you on, the fact the bands are unbroken is a sign of strength and support from those around you, needed to guide you along your journeys.

All proceeds from the sale of First Nations products will go to the Geelong Cats Foundation which supports our research, community engagement and celebration of local and national projects with First Nations peoples.