About Me,

Melanie Ann-

Art seeps into the quiet moments I spend reflecting, and the loud moments I spend with family and friends. It has a powerful authority over my senses- my ability to quickly read a room, feel profound sadness for someone’s loss, or overwhelming joy for another’s achievements.

My creative identity influences how I see the world around me,

and the world around me influences how I create my art. 

As a child, I loved to draw. At MassArt I studied photography. In graduate school, my focus was Art Education. In my studio, I obsessed over abstract painting and collage.

 In my 20’s I became an art teacher. I always enjoyed being around children. They have a humorous spirit I can relate to. My lessons focused on self-expression and the experience of creating, rather than the mastering of skills.

 In my late-30’s I resigned from teaching to start a family. Motherhood quickly took precedence as I struggled to find time to create. I stuck to mediums that were easier to use between naptimes, such as pencil and watercolor. Eventually, I carved out a space in my home that was child-free, and gravitated back to more process-based creating like mono-printing and collage.

 I’ve always loved discovering new mediums -anything I can get my hands on I’ll try. I’ve even dabbled in digital creating, although nothing compares to getting your hands dirty! 

 As I entered my 40s and motherhood extended beyond changing diapers and chaperoning playdates, so did my time in the studio. As a result, I discovered my greatest joy lay in mixed media.

 Mixing mediums is where my creativity thrives. I love the adventure of building upon layers, there’s always an uncertainty to how a medium will respond. Its unpredictable each and every time.

 Simultaneously, my childhood love for drawing re-emerged and I found myself gravitating towards quirky, anthropomorphic type characters (most likely as a result of my love for children’s books as a teacher) and I began incorporating them within my work. 

As a result - the name for my storefront Mélange was born: 

(A mixture/medley of things)

  I often look at other artists and feel envious, not necessarily of what they are creating, but of their ability to take risks and put themselves out there. Until I remember that we all had to start somewhere. I've been creating since I was a little girl,

yet I feel the work I'm doing now,

the work I vulnerably display to you here-

 is my “somewhere to start” 

and the beginning of something that truly 

“feels like me”.