Michelle Clarke

Michelle Clarke is a creative metal sculptor who produces eye-catching figures that are inspired by a deep appreciation for New Zealand wildlife. 

Working mainly in stainless steel and is now playing with adding coloured Perspex riveted onto the work. Michelle encourages close examination of her intricate works, by doing this we can gauge an understanding of how each sculpture is constructed. Each sculpture's detail is constructed using an additive technique, layered from the inside out, by an accumulation of stainless steel patches that are worked together and welded by hand. Michelle effortlessly moulds these metal patches into larger than life creations, that almost seem almost alive and an ‘Alice in Wonderland” sense of fantasy. Currently, Michelle is introducing coloured perspex to her work alluring a beautiful stained glass effect.

Michelle set out on her own path as an artist from her home in Central Otago. She started her career with her husband Bill Clarke once she had finished homeschooling their two daughters Sarah and Elisha, who are also metal artists.

 “I am proud our family is self-taught, who continually drawing inspiration from life’s infinite beauty and this allows us to see no barriers to what we can imagine and create”.



Michelle also introduced some recycled aluminium cans with fun graphics into a headdress for her Frida Kahlo Sculpture which won Peoples Choice at Art in a Garden in North Canterbury. (2018) Selected for Sculpture on Shore 2019 and 2021. Michelle’s sculptures can also be found in both private and public collections throughout New Zealand, Australia and the USA.