9:16a.m. 21st August 2008

Michele Knightley opens her exhibition ‘Sand, Salt and Honey’ at the Noosa Regional Gallery 10 am, 13 September.

Cootharaba artist Michele Knightley opens her exhibition ‘Sand, Salt and Honey’ at the Noosa Regional Gallery 10 am, 13 September.

Growing up in Noosa, Michele was seventeen years old when she held her first exhibition in Eumundi.

“Both my parents were potters and we had a stall at Eumundi market, so I grew up with art. In the beginning it was natural for me to explore ceramics. It was only after my daughters were born that I pursued painting”

Michele then turned to an art teacher Lyn McCrea for tuition.

“Lyn was a great inspiration for me. A wonderful mentor and teacher, I can’t thank her enough. I also get great inspiration from the work of Hal Barton and Susan Schmidt.”

Michele’s artwork is luscious, rich in colour, organic and earthy. Her style is realistic and has an immediate connection with the audience.

The title of the exhibition’ Sand, Salt and Honey comes from the coastline.

Sand and salt signifies the beach and honey the vegetation.

Michele paints things that people can recognise locally.

Her husband is a Ranger with the Environmental Protection Agency and she often goes with him on the river to look at the rain forests, the sandy parts and different habitats.

She has a strong connection with the coastal regions surrounding the Noosa River and Lake Cootharaba and the coastal wallum country provides endless inspiration for her.

“I love the history of the area, the geology. I feature geology in a lot of my paintings. Aboriginal middens have always fascinated me I like to call my paintings bush portraits and hope to present opportunities for people to be come more familiar with the intimate details of the local landscape, as that means so much to me”

Christine Ballinger, Director of the Noosa Regional Gallery comments ”Michele’s paintings have immediate appeal to lovers of the wallum landscape. They are rich in colour, confident in execution and full of narrative.”

What: Sand Salt and Honey exhibition

Who: Michele Knightley

Where: Noosa Regional Gallery

When: Opens 10am, 13 September 2008. Official opening 6pm, 19 September 2008