Melissa McDonald - 2022

Melissa McDonald currently lives in Northamptonshire originally from Hertfordshire. She has travelled and worked in the Highlands of Scotland for 10 years and this experience continues to influence in her work.

Melissa switches between semi abstract and a more intuitive abstract style depending on her mood trying to capture the feeling and atmosphere of the landscape. This can be literal landscape or a comment on the events in the world or her own personal experiences.

Finding structure and rules frustrating in life as well as in her art Melissa finds her Zen in expressive brush strokes while others find theirs in the details. Her seascapes are inspired by her travels but her abstracts are a voice for experiences past and present. In times of turbulence her process has become a way of expression most often when she feels powerless.

Melissa works mainly in acrylics building up layer by layer on stretched canvas applying a large amount of texture particularly in her abstracts. She uses various tools alongside brushes. A shower squeegee can make beautiful marks!

Other than a couple of splashes on a wall years ago to liven up some rented accommodation she only seriously picked up a paint brush a few years ago desperately needing a place to put the chaos that had accumulated in her head with the current world events and personal ones. She is not formally trained although has been creating in various ways since she was a child.

Melissa is now exhibiting in various venues throughout the country. She hopes that her art can invoke a feeling, recognition or simply a smile in someone.