Michelle Wilkin is a self-taught New Zealand artist whose practice in abstract minimalism is deeply informed by her long and successful design career. After more than two decades as a Creative Director and Brand Strategist – including almost ten years based in Toronto – she returned to Aotearoa in 2022 and chose to step back from the pace and demands of corporate life to pursue her lifelong passion for art.

Drawing on the calming and evocative qualities of the natural world, and guided by an intuitive process that allows each piece to unfold with quiet intentionality, Michelle’s work offers a considered retreat from the noise and velocity of modern life. Her artworks create spaces where viewers can pause, reflect, and find comfort in life’s simple pleasures. Her practice challenges conventional perceptions of abstract art – inviting a slower, more mindful engagement, where meaning is discovered in both the delicate presence of detail and the purposeful absence of it.

Working with her signature neutral palette, she builds atmospheric compositions through layered acrylic techniques. Her decision to leave the canvas raw and unprimed allows the paint to gently absorb and desaturate, creating the soft, nostalgic quality that has become a defining characteristic of her work.

Michelle Wilkin is represented by Leighton Contemporary Gallery in Australia (Noosa QLD),  Turua Gallery in New Zealand (Auckland), and maintains an ongoing partnership with New Zealand retailer Kayu Studio.