About Melinda Fellini

My studio is surrounded by Northwest forest. Two dogs are constant companions along with two cats that make their daily rounds. There is a perch for a large Macaw. My studio is filled with books and magazines on art, music, and the aroma of oil paint and beeswax. I love to spend my days involved in the serious play of painting.

My lifelong interest in environments that feed imagination led to a career in interior design. I am still very much involved in creating environments. Now, however, I work on a different scale. When painting, I am asking you, the viewer, to join me in the adventure of using my paintings as an entry point for your own inner journey. I am creating a window through which you may embark upon your own daydream.

Artist's Statement

I consider my images to be visual poetry, windows to daydreams. My landscapes are luminous and organic in nature. I paint in oils with their rich color and depth. In addition to painting, I also enjoy creating encaustic
works. This is a process involving a beeswax medium and a heat source.

There is a quiet, sensual quality in the flame of the torch becoming my paintbrush. The medium itself is aromatic, buttery and translucent with glowing rich color, reminding me of stained glass in liquid form. Working with encaustics builds on the same qualities that draw me to oil painting as well as inspiring my current oil  compositions.

MY PROCESS

I am captivated by the entire process of painting. It seems like alchemy to start with a piece of canvas, stretch it, prime it, add layers of paint and finally end up with a work of art. I also make many of my own paint brushes. Each one has a different personality, giving the brushstroke a signature look. My work is painted in layers with the addition of glazes to create a depth that cannot be achieved in one sitting.

Nature observed when hiking and traveling provides my inspiration. I love the feel of the air, the light, and the weather. These qualities create an emotional response that I translate back into my paintings through color. I have spent my life passionately pursuing the emotional impact of color. Color is the reason I paint.