Melody Cleary

Artist Bio:

My art is an emotional response to color, texture and design in nature.  I am usually inspired by my own photos taken at local areas, zooming in on a particular portion of the scene where I find a pleasing composition & design.  On the computer, I might convert the photo to black & white to just see values, and blur it (instead of squinting), then let my intuition guide the color choices, trying to remain as free as possible with the paint application via fluid negative brush painting or bold palette knife strokes, always conscious of the of light against dark…I am so drawn to light and shadows.   I enjoy applying and scraping pigment with knives to achieve interesting texture and tones.  Although I am predominantly a representational landscape and nature painter, I also enjoy experimenting with collage and acrylic stained papers in abstract & figurative works.  I am presently focused on these two mediums. 

I've been drawing and painting since grade school and took classes at local art schools, art centers and community college in the 70's and 80's in the Portland area, moonlighting while I was employed.  Since retirement in 2000, I've 'gone to my room' and practiced to find my own voice with paint and colors.  I'm a member of a local critique group whose members use varied media and we continue to experiment and grow in terms of technique, composition, color, and design.