Having always loved art since childhood, Melissa was taught in her 20’s to paint by the award winning UK wildlife artist Angela Gaughan, using the old masters’ method of glazing with oils. Today, many years later, her work has evolved to a more expressive style, still painting in layers but now opaquely, adding more texture and less fine detail. Melissa aims to portray the vibrance and vitality of the natural world, capturing the essence of the living experience onto canvas. Her works can have an almost dreamlike quality, as if showing a snapshot into another world - her world which is alive with joyous energy.
Melissa works mostly in oils, preferring their more natural colours and slower drying times and, as she feels a strong connection to all things natural, she loves the thought that they were made from pigments and oils which ultimately came from the earth. Her paintings are all about connection with the earth in spirit and mind, as well as using eco friendly materials wherever possible. Her time is spent working on new paintings for galleries (both physical and online) and teaching oil painting to both groups and private individuals.
Living in the Midlands, UK, Melissa shares her home with her husband, 4 children and dog. Her favourite places to be are in the forest searching for and learning about native plants and trees, walking in wild places where there are hills and mountains, and being by the sea, letting the sound of the waves wash over her soul.
Presented by Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery
Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery
(Art gallery, United States)Hi, just wanted to let you know that I am having a studio sale of my older works which no longer represent my artistic style - basically, any painting listed on this page which depicts an animal or bird is now listed at HALF PRICE. This is the perfect opportunity for you to buy an original piece of artwork either for yourself or a loved one at an exceptional price. Thanks so much for your interest and support
I’m so thrilled to have been taken under the wing of The Courtyard Fine Art Lounge in Lichfield, Staffordshire UK. This is the first real world gallery to represent my work and I’m so looking forward to working with the team there to bring my brand of vibrant, uplifting art to a wider audience. 
I was really surprised and delighted to be selected as a finalist in this year‘s Wildlife Artist of the Year Award hosted by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation. It was the first time I had entered this exhibition and, although I didn’t win any prizes, I was incredibly honoured to have been selected as the standard of entries is always so high. It was even more thrilling when my painting entitled ’Between Realms’ sold within 24 hours of the opening of the exhibition! A great opportunity to help such a worthwhile cause.
I’m so excited to announce that my painting ‘Between Realms’ has been selected to be entered for the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year Award this year. Over 2,300 entries were received from around the world for this renowned competition so I feel incredibly lucky to be included in the chosen few who are in with a chance of taking the Wildlife Artist of the Year title. I look forward to seeing the rest of the exhibition, which will be shown online for the first time in its history this year, when it opens in May.
I’m excited to announce that my jaguar painting entitled ‘Prowl’ has been awarded a Special Merit by the Light Space Time gallery in their 10th Annual “Animals” Art Exhibition which is available to view online now at lightspacetime.art. The competition attracted 1,040 entries from 32 countries worldwide, so to be given an award amongst some tough competition means a lot to me.
Thank you for your interest in looking at my work, I hope to add more works soon.
