Artist Bio

Mel has a passion for learning new things and has always been driven by an urge to create. She was raised in the Shenadoah Valley of Virginia where she developed an ever-present appreciation for the mesmerizing beauty of the natural world. Her enthusiasm for new art forms led her to Philadelphia where she worked as a silversmith and received a BFA in printmaking from Tyler School of Art.

With a fierce desire to be independent, Mel set off in search of a new way of living — one more in tune with nature and less dependent on modern convenience. Her journey led her to the high desert of Arizona where she currently lives and farms on her off-grid homestead.

Inspired by the backdrop of the nearby Painted Desert, Mel began her works in watercolor soon after moving to Southwest. Her vivid use of color replicates the intensity of the landscape, while abstract forms represent thoughts and emotions that emerge from within. "I am in touch with the land — the source of all life," she says. "It is flowing around us all the time. I simply capture it in colors for all to see."

[Link to Artist's Statement]