Michèle Heibel

My miniatures are created on Clayboard Black using only a needle or pin. These are usually stolen from my mother’s sewing table and screwed into an old metal etching
handle that once belonged to my Swiss Grandfather (a wonderful Graphic Designer who sadly passed away before I was born). Such a tool, truly becomes a companion and I treasure the feeling of being accompanied, even as I work in solitude.

My artworks are often connected to children and the environment - two subjects that are very close to my heart. I have found there are things I can communicate in a quiet, beautiful, visual way that I would find very difficult to put into words and I am grateful for this.

Growing up in an artistic Swiss family, Michèle Heibel attained a Diploma of Graphic Design at North Sydney’s Billy Blue College in 1990. She worked in the publishing industry for two decades. In 2009, after the birth of her son, she felt a deep need for change. Michèle found moving to the Hunter Valley returned her to the rural lifestyle she had known as a child and credits this environment with the finding of her way back to creating artworks by hand.

Michèle has been in solo and group exhibitions since 2011. In 2023, her solo Making Time at Gosford Regional Art Gallery was close to a sell out. Michèle is an award winning artist, most recently having been presented with the prize for most innovative & theme at the 2022 ASMA National Awards as well as imaginative drawing at the 2019 National Miniature Awards.

She has also been a finalist in numerous awards and prizes including the Gosford Art Prize hosted by the Gosford Art Regional Gallery and Little Things Art Prize at Saint Cloche Gallery, Sydney. Michèle’s works are held in Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre and Cessnock City Count Public Collections.