Airlie Beach, Queensland
Airlie Beach Art is the home of Whitsunday-based artist Michael van Blerk — featuring luminous regional seascapes capturing the light and water of the Whitsunday Islands, and powerful figurative work rooted in the Baroque tradition of sacred and devotional painting.
All works are original oil or acrylic on canvas, available for sale and commission.
Michael van Blerk is a self-taught acrylic and oil painter based in Airlie Beach, Queensland, working in two distinct disciplines — regional landscape and classical figurative painting.
Drawn to the dramatic light and colour of the Whitsunday region, Michael's seascape work captures the character of one of Australia's most iconic coastlines with bold colour and painterly confidence.
His figurative work operates in a different register entirely — dark, psychologically intense oil paintings in the tradition of the Baroque masters, exploring sacred and theological subjects with unflinching seriousness and emotional weight.
Michael exhibits locally and regionally and accepts commissions in both disciplines.
The Whitsunday Islands offer some of the most distinctive natural light in Australia — the particular blue of the Coral Sea, the silica white of Whitehaven Beach, the drama of tropical cloud formations building over the islands.
These paintings are direct responses to that environment. Bold in colour, confident in mark making, and painted with genuine affection for a coastline that rewards close looking.
Available as original acrylic or oil on canvas in a range of sizes. Commissions welcome — whether you want a specific view, a favourite anchorage, or a memory of time spent on the water.
This body of work sits in the tradition of the great Baroque painters — Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens — who understood that the most profound human experiences demand to be painted with weight, darkness, and unflinching honesty.
Michael's figurative paintings engage directly with sacred and theological subjects drawn from Scripture, church history, and the great narrative tradition of Western devotional art. These are not decorative works. They are paintings that ask something of the viewer — attention, stillness, and a willingness to sit with difficult and beautiful things simultaneously.
Current and recent bodies of work include Behold the Man, a Lenten series on the Passion narrative, and The Expulsion, a large-format treatment of the Fall of Man that places Adam and Eve at the threshold between paradise and the world.
These works are painted for spaces that can hold them — private collections, sacred spaces, and serious collectors of figurative and devotional art.
Original works are available for sale. Ecclesiastical and private commissions are welcomed and quoted individually — contact Michael to discuss your project.
All works are original oil on canvas. Prices listed per work. Commission inquiries welcome.
Michael accepts commissions in both his seascape and figurative disciplines.
Bring a photograph, a location, or simply a memory of the Whitsundays and Michael will paint it. Quoted based on size and complexity.
Sacred subjects, theological narratives, portraits in the classical tradition. Each commission is discussed individually to ensure the work serves its intended space and purpose. Ecclesiastical commissions particularly welcome.
To inquire about a commission, contact Michael directly. All commissions are quoted individually.
To purchase a work, inquire about a commission, or discuss an exhibition opportunity, contact Michael directly.
Based in Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia.