Melissa McGill

Artist Statement:

Personal landscapes on raw canvas and paper. 

My works are influenced by the sedimentary formations of The Great Basin and the marks left behind by a millennia of water which is no longer there. The painting process mimics nature through pouring, scraping and mark making. Acrylic medium washes, stain the canvas creating depth as the layers build. Informed by a passion for color, and influenced by the Arroyo's of the desert, and the rivers and creeks of The Pacific Northwest. 

Reflecting the joy of movement, my process involves my whole body, large strokes of color poured or scraped across the canvas punctuated with graphic lines to guide the eye and balance the composition.

I build up my paintings in a very organic way. Working primarily with acrylic paints allows me to work intuitively. Marks and movement are added with pastels, graphite and spray paint. 

After 20 years of interpreting other peoples ideas as a commercial illustrator, painting is a joyful interpretation of my life experience.

Client list includes, Sony, Time, San Francisco Chronicle, Adobe, AT&T, Graphique De France, Elle, McGraw Hill and more.

Current Representation .
R Cline Arts, Las Vegas, NV.
Brett Wesley Contemporary, Las Vegas, NV.

Education:

Self taught

Awards & Distinctions:

2010 3x3 Illustration Pro Show Merit Winner.

Exhibitions:

March 2019 - The Other Art Fair LA.

January 2019 - NIAD Group Show, Richmond, CA.

November 2018 Group show, Jen Tough Gallery, Benicia, CA.

September 2018 The Other Art Fair Chicago.

July 2018 Group show, Jen Tough Gallery, Benicia, CA.

June 2018 Solo show, Jen Tough Gallery, Benicia, CA.

April 2018 Collage A Trois, R Cline Arts, Las Vegas, NV.

March 2018 The Other Art Fair LA.

June 2017 The Other Art Fair NYC.

March 2017 Conrad Wilde Gallery 12th Encaustic Invitational Group Show.

November 2016 Group Show - Paint The Town Las Vegas, NV.

June - September 2016 In My Head Solo Show - R Cline Arts, Las Vegas, NV.

August 2015 Group Show - Nevada Humanities Gallery.

June 2015 ACA Art Comes Alive Group Show - Art Design Consultants Cincinnati, OH.

March 2015 Group Show "Spring Remix" - Brett Wesley Gallery, Las Vegas, NV.

April 2015 Zap7 Public Art Las Vegas, NV.

September 2014 Solo show "Lucent" Encaustic Works - Brett Wesley Gallery, Las Vegas, NV.

Artistic Influences:

nature, literature, Leonard Cohen, life, Robert Rauschenberg, Basquiat, Helen Frankenthaler.
 

Tags:

Abstract, abstract expressionism, women artists, abstract painting, collage, modern abstracts.