Summertime
12 x 12 in.
Oil/cold wax on wood panel
Available through the artist

Melanie Ferguson: Summertime was inspired by Utah’s beautiful countryside and from the many walks along those wide open country roads. The colors and beauty of nature always stop me in my tracks.

Melanie’s art journey began in college with a drawing and photography class. It has taken many paths to get where she is today. She moved to Los Angeles in her 20s, got married started a family, navigating a new city, starting a new family didn’t leave much time to pursue art. But Melanie took a class whenever she could. “Art kept me focused on who I was and what I passionately wanted to do in my life,” says Melanie. “When my girls left for college, I booked a trip to paint the France countryside, and a whole new world in plein air painting opened up!”

Many years later Melanie is still pursuing the creative life. Always excited when that creative spark ignites, to see something that inspires…a new color, a new product, or a new subject to paint. Travel is also a much-needed inspiration; she can’t wait to record the colors, culture, and nature in her journal, and paint those scenes that stop you in your tracks.

Melanie’s current style starts with an abstracted first layer, adding texture, colors, thick paint, etc. “Then I edit, refine the next layers, creating my landscapes or a floral painting. It might take a week or a month, sometimes a year to create the final painting that meets all my aesthetics. It’s not finished until the painting tells me it’s done, then I can let it go to a new home.”

Melanie hopes to create art that uplifts, energizes, and gives the viewer a sense of the beauty in nature. Her paintings provide a peaceful, happy, and calming scene — maybe from a memory of a place traveled to, or a place held dear. Nature is her inspiration and one she’ll never tire of, or find a lack of material, nature’s beauty is endless.

To see more art, please visit my website at www.melaniefergusonart.com or follow me on instagram @Melaniefergusonart.