An exhibition of graphite and charcoal drawings on canvas created by Paynesville-based artists Cecile Michel is currently on display at the West Gippsland Arts Centre.
Titled "Kaleidoscope", the exhibition features a variety of pieces designed to evoke a sense of nostalgia
Although Cecile began drawing as a child, she returned to the craft in 2019, developing her unique approach and exploring new subjects.
Nostalgia plays a strong role in Cecile's art, particularly through depictions of childhood toys and objects from the '80s and '90s, a way of connecting with others through shared memories.
"I like drawing those things because they tend to make people smile and they remind them of happy memories, and they find common ground with other people by talking about them," Cecile said.
"I've seen people looking at them and smiling, you just want to try and guess what they're thinking about."
Cecile said she generally drew things that she liked and felt connected to. Looking around in op-shops for "little treasures", Cecile said when she feels a connection to something just by looking at it, she decides to draw it.
Cecile uses makeup brushes to blend graphite powder and create soft, textured pieces. She said a piece can take anywhere from a week to a month to complete depending on its size.
"You really have to focus on a very small area at a time and ignore (the bigger picture) of what you're drawing and just focus on what colour it is or what tone of grey it is and just try and replicate that," she said.
"It puts you in a very nice, peaceful state of mind."
Having exhibited some of her works previously in Paynesville and Ballarat, Cecile said she's interested to see how people in West Gippsland respond to the exhibition.
"It will be interesting just to see, depending on where you are in Australia, how people react and the themes that they like," she said.
Cecile hoped people looking at her artwork would feel the urge to reconnect with someone and share a story.
"I hope they start talking to each other and maybe contacting people that they haven't spoken to in a while, because it'll remind them of a toy they used to have," she said.
"People who are visiting together might exchange stories, but hopefully they can mentally take it home with them and start talking to other people."
Cecile's exhibition will be on display at West Gippsland Arts Centre until Friday October 10.