ARTIST STATEMENT
I paint with acrylics, gel mediums and metallic pigments on canvas. I am drawn to muted palettes—warm hues of blue, soft greens, gauzy yellows and shadowy grays. I love the way a little bit of metallic or iridescent medium can catch the light and illuminate a mat surface. It is exciting to me when a shimmering effect might make visible a sense of the passage of time.
Through my art, I am continuously searching for peace ~ exploring themes of spirituality, contemplation, harmony, surrender, and stillness. My hope is that my art appeals to the imagination and intuition in a way that might evoke a sense of connectedness to something greater than ourselves.
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MORE ABOUT MELISSA
Melissa was born and raised around Washington, D.C. Her love of drawing and painting as a young girl led her to a degree in studio art. During this period she was chosen for an internship at Georgetown University assisting acclaimed medical illustrator Peter Stone. Later education and career choices carried her through graduate school and ten years in the corporate world managing an award winning team of graphic designers, computer artists and animators.
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After spending a few years living and starting a family in Australia and France, she settled with her husband and three children in Santa Clara, California. During this time she became an advocate providing hospitality and support to newly arrived refugees. The emotional challenge of this work was significant. To find balance, Melissa returned to her roots as a painter. Her time working with refugees inspired her ‘Seeker Series’. Through these paintings, she explores themes of strength and resilience through stillness, silence and surrender. Her process involves layering, scraping, building up, washing off – exposing.
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Melissa has been exhibiting through galleries nationally since 2009. She has recently moved back to California after living and painting in England for three years. Her work continues to be exhibited and collected in the US, UK and Europe through her relationships with The Art Agency. Melissa now lives and works out of her studio in Santa Cruz, California and is the owner of Curated by the Sea art gallery.
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