在泥土與畫布之間，重新摸索時間最真實的形狀：澳洲自然靜物藝術家 Sam Michelle
Artist - Sam Michelle。© Martina Gemmola
從澳洲墨爾本市區向南約一個小時車程，城市的緊繃氛圍逐漸退去，鹹濕的海風襲來，眼前映入林立的低矮灌木，以及一片物產豐富的潮間帶。 Blind Bight，一座安靜得彷彿被時間遺忘的澳洲沿海小鎮，也是藝術家 Sam Michelle 安頓工作室與生活之所。
很難想像，Sam 在 2014 年成為全職藝術家之前，度過了十三年與數字報表為伍的銀行生涯。當時的她，每天面對著辦公室冰冷的鍵盤與螢幕，與現在圍繞自然泥土氣息與油彩的工作室生活大相徑庭。
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About an hour's drive south of downtown Melbourne, the tense atmosphere of the city gradually fades away. A salty sea breeze rolls in, revealing scattered low shrubs and a richly diverse intertidal zone. Blind Bight, a quiet Australian coastal town that seems completely forgotten by time, is where artist Sam Michelle has settled her studio and her life.
It is hard to imagine that before becoming a full time artist in 2014, Sam spent thirteen years working in the banking industry surrounded by financial reports. Back then, she faced cold keyboards and screens every day, a stark contrast to her current studio life, which is deeply immersed in the earthy scent of nature and vibrant oil paints.
© Martina Gemmola
高中時，繪畫只是我抒發情感的出口。但在銀行工作時，我發現自己在畫布前獲得的滿足感，逐漸強烈到再也無法忽視。剛開始，我只能在工作與家庭的空檔中，抓緊作畫的時間。最初的情緒出口，就在日復一日的一筆一畫中，沉澱為紮實的練習，最終成了我的志業。
從理性的數字叢林退隱到感性的自然，Sam 開始重新調整日常節奏。在銀行工作時，時間總是過得飛快，常處於充滿高壓與追求產出的環境；到回歸全職繪畫，每日與植物相伴，時間彷彿也逐漸慢了下來。
每當她看見自己親手埋下的種子開出第一朵花，或者被周圍的色彩組合所觸動，那股內心泛起的悸動，依然與最初拾起畫筆時一模一樣。如今的她，已是一位成熟的全職藝術家，作品並於雪梨的 Martin Browne Contemporary 畫廊展出，也在澳洲當代靜物畫領域中，展現出獨樹一格的安靜力量。
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"Painting began in highschool as a creative outlet however over time it became impossible to ignore how much fulfilment I found in it. In the beginning, I painted whenever I could, often around work and family commitments. What started as curiosity and outlet gradually became a practice and eventually a profession."
Retreating from the rational jungle of numbers to the intuitive embrace of nature, Sam began to recalibrate her daily rhythm. Time always flew by during her banking days, an environment often defined by high pressure and a constant drive for output. Upon returning to full time painting and spending her days with plants, time seemed to gradually slow down.
Whenever she sees the first flower bloom from a seed she planted herself, or whenever she is moved by an interior color combination, the stirring in her heart remains exactly the same as when she first picked up a brush. Today, she is a mature professional artist whose works are exhibited at the Martin Browne Contemporary gallery in Sydney, demonstrating a uniquely quiet power within the realm of Australian contemporary still life painting.
© Martina Gemmola
當後院成為唯一的避難所
回想起 2020 年席捲全球的疫情，讓這座安靜的沿海小鎮陷入更孤立的狀態。封城期間，物資與人類移動受到嚴格限制，所有商店紛紛關門，Sam 也失去到鮮花市場尋找創作靈感的機會。
那時候我突然意識到，如果我想要源源不絕的靈感，我就必須自己成為靈感的源頭。我的花園就是在那段時間裡建構起來的。它現在成了我躲避外界雜亂噪音的避難所，也是一個珍稀且充滿驚喜的植物收藏庫。
因為當時的時空背景促成，她從一位「買花來畫」的旁觀者，轉變成一位親自參與生長的推手。她開始整地、播種、施肥、研究如何應對病蟲害，以及如何拿捏澆水的濕度，並在日復一日的照料中，靜靜觀察不同花卉在四季裡的生長狀態。
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When the Backyard Becomes the Only Sanctuary
Looking back at the global pandemic in 2020, this quiet coastal town fell into an even deeper state of isolation. During the lockdown, with strict restrictions on human movement, florists and flower markets became inaccessible. Sam lost the opportunity to find external creative inspiration.
"I realised that if I wanted consistent inspiration, I needed to create that source of inspiration myself. My garden became both a sanctuary and a collection of hard-to-find, weird and wonderful varieties of flowers."
Driven by the circumstances of that era, she transformed from a mere observer who bought flowers to paint into a cultivator actively involved in nurturing them. She began clearing the land, sowing seeds, feeding the soil, treating pests and diseases, and learning to balance watering. Through daily care, she quietly observed the growth stages of various flowers across the four seasons.
© Martina Gemmola
走進她的畫作，會發現 Sam 筆下的花卉往往帶著野性與隨性的真實感，如一條因果實重量而微微彎曲的枝條，或是在晨光中剛剛試探性張開瓣片的花苞。她的花園儼然成為了她創作能量的來源，每次播種與灌溉，都像是在為未來的畫布，復育著未知卻踏實的色彩。
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Stepping into her paintings, one finds that her floral subjects often carry a wild and spontaneous authenticity, like a fruit tree branch bending under its own weight or a single flower opening in the morning. Her garden has truly become the ultimate source of her creative energy. Every act of sowing and watering feels like nurturing unknown yet grounded colors for her future canvases.
'Wattle & Green Stripes' 143x123cm 2025 © Simon Strong
順應四季榮枯的創作步伐與沉澱
雖然園藝與繪畫，看似是兩件截然不同的事，卻在 Sam 的生活裡找到了相同的步調。
在花園裡，你必須先整理泥土，為種子打造一個舒適的家，然後經過一連串的細心照料。植物的生長是緩慢的，而且大部分都在泥土之下的黑暗中靜悄悄地發生。畫畫也是一樣，一項技巧的熟練需要數年的累積，而最關鍵的領悟，往往隱藏在最枯燥的重複日常工作之中。
畫布上的油彩亦然，需要層層堆疊，每上一層上色都需要等待的時間。在凡事求快的當代生活裡，Sam 選擇用這種「慢」與土地、與自己共處。正如一株大理花或繡球花，往往需要一整年的耐心培育，才能換來短短幾週的盛放；而正是這份與植物一同度過時光，讓她對光影與色彩的微小變化，變得異常敏銳。
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Pacing and Settling in Harmony with the Seasons
Although gardening and painting seem like two entirely different pursuits, they have found the exact same rhythm in Sam's life.
"In a garden, you prepare the soil, create a lovely home, plant a seed, feed, water, and treat pests and diseases. Growth happens gradually and often invisibly. Painting can be similar. Skills develop over years rather than weeks, and many of the most important lessons come through repetition and consistency."
The same principle applies to oil paints on a canvas. They require layer upon layer of application, with each new layer demanding patience. In a modern world that demands speed in all things, Sam chooses to use this slowness to coexist with the land and with herself. Just like a dahlia or hydrangea, which often requires a full year of patient cultivation in exchange for a few brief weeks of grand beauty, it is this time spent with plants that has made her exceptionally sensitive to the subtlest changes in nuance, light, and color.
© Martina Gemmola
季節更迭如同是創作的歷程。Sam 坦然容許停滯，就像是接受植物有枯萎的季節，而創作也會有低潮的週期。當花園裡的草木在冬日裡落葉和休眠，那片寂靜的土地並未讓人感到焦慮，反而成了最合適的提醒：創作同樣需要經歷冬眠與沉澱。唯有學會順應自然的消長，與植物一同在寒冬中休息充電，身心才能在下一個季節裡，在畫布前散發出一種不疾不徐的適切感，迎來嶄新的綻放。
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The change of seasons perfectly mirrors the creative journey. Sam openly accepts periods of rest, just as she accepts that her herbaceous perennials and deciduous trees take time over winter to recuperate. When the garden goes dormant, the silent earth does not cause her anxiety. Instead, it serves as the most fitting reminder: creation also requires time to rest and recharge. Only by learning to adapt to the ebb and flow of nature can the body and mind rebloom within the studio practice, exuding an unhurried sense of grace in front of the canvas.
© Martina Gemmola
清晨漫步與一杯茶，開啟創作的覺察
每天清晨，Sam 總習慣倒一杯熱茶，不帶手機，將所有外界的喧囂隔絕在外，獨自走進花園裡散步，有意識地展開一天。在後院中，開啟一段純粹屬於自然、身體與感官的對話。
而創作的靈感，往往就在這樣的日常中悄悄甦醒。有時候，一幅作品的起點可能是源自一封遠方種子商人的電子郵件。她在螢幕前挑選著外形獨特、色澤罕見的花卉種子，耐心地等待它們跨洋寄到手中，再親手埋入土裡，經歷數月等待後，在花園的某個轉角，與那份盛開的驚喜不期而遇。
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Morning Walks and a Cup of Tea to Awaken Awareness
Every morning, Sam is accustomed to pouring a cup of hot tea and leaving her phone behind. Shutting out all external distractions, she walks alone into the garden for at least an hour to consciously start her day. In the backyard, she initiates a dialogue that belongs purely to nature, her body, and her senses.
Creative inspiration often quietly awakens within these daily routines. Sometimes, the starting point of a piece begins with an email from a lovely seed seller. She patiently waits for the seeds, plants them, and anticipates the heart flutter of seeing the flower bloom for the very first time.
© Martina Gemmola
那種心跳加速的感覺，是無法替代的。有時候，激發一幅新畫作的靈感非常微小，可能只是早晨散步時，轉過拐角發現一朵花在夜裡悄悄開了；可能是葉片上被蟲蛀咬出的奇特圖案；又或者是光線穿過玻璃花瓶時，在地板上折射出的那道不規則的影子。甚至是植物生病時留下的斑痕，都有著獨特的線條。
而這些常人眼中轉瞬即逝的微小細節，全被 Sam 用畫筆定格於畫布上。她的創作總帶著親密而熟悉的溫度，沒有冰冷與高不可攀的距離，彷彿那束花才剛從自家的餐桌上被移入畫框，還帶著生活點滴的餘溫。除了自家的後院，鄰近的克蘭伯恩澳洲植物園（Cranbourne Gardens），也是她尋找靈感的秘密基地。
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"The spark is usually something very simple, it might be the thrill of a morning garden walk with a cuppa, turning the corner and discovering a flower that has opened overnight, an unexpected colour combination in the garden, or a collection of blooms gathered while doing those morning rounds. Sometimes it is the way light falls across a vase, how a particular stem leans unexpectedly or even a pattern of pest disease across leaves."
These fleeting minute details that ordinary people might overlook are all captured on canvas by her brush. Her creations always carry an intimate and familiar warmth, entirely devoid of cold or unapproachable distance, as if the blooms were just gathered from the garden. In addition to her own backyard, the nearby Cranbourne Gardens also serves as a secret base for her to seek inspiration.
© Martina Gemmola
每次到植物園，總能有新發現。澳洲原生植物大膽的雕塑感線條、獨特的色彩與強韌的生命力，總能為我的後院栽種與畫面構圖，帶來許多靈感。
這份對自然風景與色彩的敏銳，其實根植於 Sam 的成長背景。她出生於紐西蘭，17 歲時隨家人移居澳洲。每當回到紐西蘭探親，老家那片綿延起伏的綠色山丘，總會再次映入眼簾，那是在墨爾本平坦的沿海景致裡，所不曾見過的風景。
跨越兩地之間的生命經驗，促使她將展覽命名為《Dual Citizen》。紐西蘭的丘陵記憶是她童年的底色，而澳洲原生植物的強烈線條，則是她如今扎根的土壤。她透過畫作記錄這些植物，不只留住自然，更像是在畫布上，一步步整理著自己遊走於兩座島嶼之間的記憶。
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"There is something uniquely beautiful about Australian plants and their bold sculptural forms, colours and resilience. I am lucky to live just 10 minutes from the Australian Cranbourne Gardens, each time I visit there is more to see and it provides inspiration for what to plant in my garden and also design ideas."
This deep sensitivity to natural landscapes and colors is rooted in her upbringing. She was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia at the age of seventeen. Whenever she returns to visit family, she is always taken aback by the beauty of the high rolling hills, a landscape entirely unseen in the flat coastal scenery of Melbourne.
The life experiences spanning these two places prompted her to name her previous exhibition Dual Citizen. The memory of the rolling hills forms the backdrop of her childhood, while the striking lines of Australian native plants represent the soil where she is now rooted. By documenting these plants through her art, she is systematically organizing her memories of family, place, and identity.
© Martina Gemmola
讓繪畫成為一幅融入生活的收藏
在 Sam 的創作視角裡，空間、家與植物從來不是孤立存在的。鮮花如何透過採集、瓶插與排列，最終融入人們的日常，成了她不斷思索的課題。對她而言，與植物共同生活的片刻，正一步步延伸出花園與家居空間的共生關係。此外，Sam 的靜物畫創作不僅僅聚焦於花卉植物，她更經常使用自己日常生活中帶有手感溫度的陶器與紡織品，與後院採集來的花卉相互搭配，共同在畫布上建構出富有生活故事的畫面。
我希望繼續探索花園與家之間的連結。同時，我也嘗試打破畫布的限制。最近，我與當地的一家 CNC 數位雕刻公司合作，共同設計一款特殊的木質浮雕邊框輪廓。第一枚打樣的原型目前正在寄送的路上，我非常期待看到具有建築幾何線條的表面，與油彩的有機質地碰撞出的火花。
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Making Art a Collectible Integrated into Life
In Sam's creative perspective, space, home, and plants never exist in isolation. She frequently incorporates everyday vases of blooms gathered from the garden, utilizing interesting textures, forms, and colors to construct scenes full of rich stories.
"I would like to continue exploring the relationship between the garden and the home, how flowers become part of our everyday lives through collecting, arranging and living with them. I am currently in the process of looking at surfaces that extend beyond the canvas. I have designed a stamp profile with a local CNC routing company and the prototype is currently in the mail. I am excited about the potential of this idea and design."
© Martina Gemmola
對材質的跨界實驗，展現了她試圖打破創作的全新嘗試。她不再滿足於只在畫布上再現自然，而是試圖將繪畫轉化為一種能融入空間設計的立體物件。與此同時，看著親手栽種的花園日益成熟，她心裡也多了一份記錄時間的責任感。
用畫筆記錄下花園的生長會很有意義。這是一種關於季節、生長與時間推移的視覺檔案。
關於未來的展覽規劃，這份對土地與時間的記錄將走得更遠。Sam 透露她接下來即將舉辦的新展覽，將會是先前《Dual Citizen》主題的延續與深化。她計畫具體透過描繪澳洲當地的原生植物，在畫布上持續探索她深層的文化背景，並進一步梳理自己的身分認同。植物會枯萎，樹木會隨季節老去，但透過油彩層層疊加的厚度，時間的軌跡，記憶能夠在木質與畫布上留下來。
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This cross boundary experimentation with materials demonstrates her brilliant attempt to break through traditional creative norms. She is no longer satisfied with merely reproducing nature on canvas but is looking at surfaces that extend beyond it. Meanwhile, watching the garden she planted with her own hands mature, she also feels a desire to record time.
"I am also interested in documenting my garden through painting as it matures. There is something meaningful about creating a visual record of seasons, growth and change over time."
Regarding future exhibition plans, this profound documentation of land and time will go even further. Sam revealed that her next show will continue from her previous Dual Citizen theme. She plans to continue exploring her heritage and identity by working through native flora. Plants will wither and seasons will change, but through painting, the trajectory of time and memory can be beautifully preserved.
'Garden Arrangement' 143x123cm 2026 © Simon Strong
在平凡日常中凝視非凡細節
Sam Michelle 的畫作沒有高亢的情感宣洩，只是安靜地記錄著周圍的植物生展樣貌，並在調色盤上，試著調配出大自然原有的色彩與和諧。
我最終的希望，是透過這些作品去讚美自然世界的美，並鼓勵人們慢下來。去留意那些藏在平凡時刻裡的非凡細節。哪怕只是單純地看看自家的花園，從清晨日出到黃昏日落之間，光影與色彩最細微的改變。
或許，你也能試著闔上螢幕，放下手邊的工作，改變原來快節奏的早晨，在不被通知鈴聲打擾的清晨，去感受一朵花的綻放，摸索屬於你自己的時間形狀。
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Gazing at Extraordinary Details in Everyday Life
Sam Michelle's paintings feature no dramatic emotional outbursts. They simply and quietly document the natural growth patterns of surrounding plants, finding the most beautiful color relationships right in nature itself.
"More broadly, I hope to continue finding ways to celebrate the beauty of the natural world and encourage people to slow down and notice the extraordinary details that exist in ordinary moments, even if simply taking notice of changes in their garden from the morning sunrise to the evening sunset."
Perhaps you can also try closing your screen, putting down your work, and changing your usual hurried morning routine. In a quiet morning completely undisturbed by distractions, allow yourself to truly feel the bloom of a flower and discover the extraordinary details within your own time.
© Martina Gemmola