Artist & Entrepreneur

Meet Michaela

I was born in Sydney, Australia, and was painting before I could walk.

I graduated from Sydney TAFE with a Certificate of Fine Arts and have dabbled in many different styles of art and crafts since then. In January 2015, I bumped into an awesome YouTube video with mixed media art, and that was it. My art practice became my passion and favorite past time.

I’m a lifelong learner and love to try new techniques and mediums. My primary inspiration and constant color palette is Australian Mother Nature, her color palette, flora and fauna all make my heart sing with joy. I also love the Steampunk genre, including grunge, so aspects of that style also often sneak into my work. I specialize in assemblage which is three dimensional embellishments added to a two dimensional artwork.

I began showing my art in 2017 and have never looked back. In 2019, I was selected to work with Albert the Otter at Topeka Zoo as part of the Roar and Pour Art Auction Event. Albert now proudly hangs at the Happy Basset Barrel House. I have also donated artworks to art auctions for Topeka based non-profit organizations including SLI Festival of Trees, YWCA CSE Concealed Revealed, and Family Service and Guidance Center Art from the Heart.

In 2020, I took the major step of creating this website and my social media sites to begin publicizing my art works, adventures, and lessons. I was absolutely honored and delighted to be selected as a member of the NY based company, The Crafter’s Workshop’s International Design Team for 2020-22, and really enjoyed creating some fun and educational projects and posts.

In 2022, I completed Bonnie Christine’s Spring Immersion 2022 Creative Entrepreneurship course, I opened a Spoonflower textile and fabric design store, I opened a Society 6 arts and gifts store, and I began pet and house sitting with Rover.com. I continue to add new surface pattern designs and artworks to my online stores.

In January 2023, after working three months part time, I was offered and accepted a full-time position with the NOTO Arts & Entertainment District working out of the NOTO Arts Center doing social media and administrative functions.

I was introduced to Michaela by means of a beautiful watercolor painting of a calico cat. Michaela painted this cat for a series of thank you cards she was making for the Topeka Street Dog Coalition team. I was blown away by her talent, and quickly learned her skillset went far beyond watercolor. I have since had the pleasure of working with Michaela on creating social media content for The Street Dog Coalition. She has been a pioneer of our social media team and her creativity and professionalism are complemented by her compassion and positivity. She’s a hard worker and self starter and I feel very fortunate that our paths crossed when they did.  

— Katrina Weschler
Executive Director
The Street Dog Coalition

Michaela is a breath of fresh air to work with! Her caring nature makes it easy for others to connect with her while she teaches the process of her creative skills. I can always count on her to be prepared, on time, and ready to engage her students when she’s teaching classes at the NOTO Arts Center.

— Staci Dawn Ogle
Program & Communications Coordinator | NOTO Arts Center