Artist Melissa Cole often
finds herself snorkeling with salmon, smooching manatees, and swimming
with tiger sharks. It is from these amazing encounters that she
derives much of her inspiration for her vividly colored, heavily textured
and patterned acrylic paintings.
Cole was born in Oregon and raised in London, Hong Kong, and India. She graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Zoology. She has spent time working in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic in environmental education, as a dive guide in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, and as a naturalist guide in Baja, Mexico. She has written over 30 children's natural history books and travels with her husband Brandon, who is a wildlife photographer specializing in marine life.
Melissa has always
dabbled in art, but has spent the last ten years fully
devoted to
it. She is strongly influenced by ethnic designs, which she sees in
her travels abroad. Inspired by native artists worldwide, who use
bright colors and intricate patterns to bring life to their paintings and
carvings, she strives to capture, in her own unique way, that same raw
energy in her work. "You'll find lots of dots, and a distinct
border in each of my pieces. I find patterns in everything, from Indian
saris and Indonesian batiks to Mexican rugs and South African tiles."
Her work is found in galleries ranging from Stephan Fine Arts in Anchorage, Alaska to The Wild Side Gallery in Key West, Florida. Please see a complete list of galleries below.
When she isn't
waterlogged, Cole finds her oasis in the Southwest. The rich colors
of the rock, strangely shaped vegetation, and fascinating wildlife provide
added interest for her artwork. "My style is consistent no
matter what subject I paint, although it is almost always nature that
draws me in".
Although she could portray the sometimes stark reality of worldwide
environmental degradation, she would like her paintings to be an escape
for both viewer and subject. While rivers are dammed, oceans are
often polluted, and plastic blows across deserts, in her paintings, fish
glide through clear water and rabbits leap unspoiled territory. Her
paintings are dreams, a touch of hope for what she wishes upon the earth.
