Text by Linda Wright
With paint and a palette knife in hand artist Melanie Morris celebrates nature on canvas.
Melanie Morris can remember painting outside as early as age 3. Her mother sat her in front of a tree and asked her to paint what she saw. But it was after graduating college with a degree in communications and working in pharmaceutical sales, that she started painting in earnest. Melanie explains, “I took a painting class at Peace College in Raleigh, North Carolina, and I had an incredible professor, Carolyn Parker, who introduced me to so many new artists and techniques.”
Melanie continued to participate in workshops and classes, and today she teaches classes and has her own studio. Her favorite subjects are flowers and landscapes, and it was the love of landscapes that led her to swap her brush for a palette knife. “My husband Michael and I went to one of our favorite places, Big Sur, California. I took hundreds of photos, but when I started painting I couldn’t capture the wide open feeling of Big Sur.” Friend and artist Linda Ledet suggested she try the palette knife, and her brushes have seen little paint since.
Her newest art venture is painting wedding bouquet portraits. Several years ago a woman bought one of Melanie’s floral paintings because it reminded her of her wedding bouquet. “That gave me this idea,” Melanie explains. “Most brides spend so much time choosing the perfect flowers for their bouquet, and then they are gone, so I decided to capture their beauty in a portrait.” Photos of the bride’s bouquet provide Melanie with her model, showing the type of flowers, arrangement, and colors.
Whether painting tiny flower petals or grand landscapes, Melanie considers painting a spiritual experience. “Often my painting time is when I feel closest to God,” she says. “I lose myself in the painting.”
For more information visit melaniemorrisart.com or facebook.com/melaniemorrisart.