Born in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Michael Braden began his working career in 1978 as a signwriter , working in the tropics at Darwin and in far-north Queensland. After completing his apprenticeship, Braden returned to Sydney in the early eighties to work as a pictorialist for Australia’s oldest sign company (Althouse & Geiger est 1875) where he was invited to join the ‘Signwriters Guild of Australia’. It was there that he met fellow guild member and ‘Alice Bale award’ winner Keith Dewell who encouraged him to participate in ‘life drawing’ classes at Julian Ashton Art School.
” My first real encounter with art tuition came when I attended South Australia’s Glenunga International high school. Whilst unburdened with the intellectual might of my fellow classmates, I did come under the mentorship of one teacher, Rhonda Thiele, a great artist / teacher and wife of Australian author Colin Thiele (Storm Boy). Rhonda’s influence and patience emboldened me to seriously consider a life of art.
Mentorship, I believe is the cornerstone in becoming a successful artist. Institutional learning is of great importance, no doubt (or can be). However, as artists in any genre, we typically seek out mentors who help galvanise our particular path and vision.
Several road trips across the U.S.A over the years have exposed me to some great influential painters , particularly those around the Southern Californian area of Laguna Beach, where there has been a great tradition of ‘Plein Air’ painters for well over a century. ”
Michael is represented by Winkel Galleries, 20 Canberra St. Randwick and Frances Keevil , Sydney, N.S.W , his work is well represented in many private and corporate collections in Australia and Abroad.