Q :Where are you from ?

I am from a little town in rural Ohio called Hartville. It's mainly a farming town and the population is around 2000 people.

Q : What is the inspiration for your work ?

My work is inspired a lot by fashion photography, Dutch portraiture, 16th century art, religious iconography and Victorian fashion, but I tend to draw inspiration from things all around me. Sometimes a scene in a movie, a line from a song or a page in a magazine can inspire me. Inspiration, like creativity, is one of those things that's hard to define, it comes on in small bursts and without notice.

Q: Did you go to Art school ?

Yes, I attended the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio. I majored in Illustration with a minor in Art Therapy.

Q: In an age of Acrylic paint why do you use oil paints ?

Actually, all throughout high school and college I used acrylic paint. It wasn't until I graduated and had some time to experiment that I really started to appreciate oil paint. Oil allows me to achieve much smoother blends and richer colors. Plus, oil is a medium with so much history. So many beautiful works of art have been created in oils and I'm drawn to the classic nature of it.

Q: Do you only paint women ?

I don't only paint women. I have been doing portraits for a very long time because I've always been especially passionate about recreating the human form, specifically the face. So I have painted/drawn portraits of almost every type of person imaginable. Recently I have been painting mostly women because I discovered my love for fashion and my love for including that in my work. I've found that women's fashion is much more varied and experimental than men's fashion, so that gives me much more room to be creative within my paintings. My paintings are also somewhat autobiographical and they all represent a side of myself that I can't express in any other way.

Q: What do you listen to when painting ?

Actually, I usually have the tv on while I'm painting. I actually paint better when I think less about it, so it helps to have a mental distraction.

Q: Favorite artist ?

This is a tough question, but I would have to say my favorite artist is Eugenio Recuenco, a Spanish photographer. His photographs are very moody and imaginative. He does things with fashion photography that I haven't seen anyone else do, except maybe Tim Walker, who is another one of my favorites.

Q: You have an amazing gift with light, how do you make it happen ?

I love to play with the light in my paintings and I've found that it really helps me to create the mood I am interested  in creating. Just by lighting a figure differently I can evoke a completely contrasting mood. I usually decide on a way to light my figures when I dream up the painting in my head and try to recreate it when I shoot the initial photographs. I then enhance the lighting in photoshop and play with color and atmosphere to create the mood I want.

Q: Do you have models sit for you ?

Yes, I always set up an initial photo shoot before I do anything else. This usually consists of coercing my friends into dramatic poses that I've dreamed up.

Q: Are you coming to LA for the show ?

Yes, I am coming to LA for the opening of my show at Corey Helford Gallery, "Garden of Shadows." My boyfriend, Michael, and I will be in town for the weekend. I am really looking forward to seeing Van Arno's new work and getting a chance to hang out with everyone at the opening.

Q: What are you saying with your new work ?

My new work is about finding hope in dark times. It deals with themes revolving around current medical practices and those used during medieval times. I am using flowers as a symbol of fragility and transient beauty, but also as an allusion to plants and their importance in archaic medical practices. I also created a group of paintings that illustrate the Four Humours, which was a medieval method of diagnosing disorders in patients.

Q: Favorite time of year ?

I live in the Eastern part of the country, so my favorite time of year is the fall. I love the cooler temperatures, the brightly colored leaves and the comfort food.

Q: Your paintings are moody does that reflect you as person ?

Ha ha, well, I would definitely say that I can be moody once in awhile, and my boyfriend would probably agree with me, but I wouldn't say that my paintings reflect my irritable nature. With each painting I try to elicit a certain mood or emotion. Each painting reflects a certain aspect of myself, but not myself as a whole. I would say that my paintings are visual representations of feelings, experiences, or thoughts that I have no other way of communicating. They are moody because they represent things that are very cerebral and abstract and creating a mood is my way of visually expressing that.

Q: Biggest Fear ?

I would have to say that my biggest fear is failure. I am a perfectionist and I am always afraid of not being good at things.

Q: Greatest joy

My greatest joy is making others happy, which is part of why I enjoy painting so much. I see it as a way I can inspire and relate to others.

Q: Goals for the future ?

My major goal right now is to continue improving my paintings and continue growing as an artist. I want to continue challenging myself and hopefully reach my full potential.

Q: If not painting what would you do ?

If I wasn't painting, I would probably be doing something else in the art field, like graphic design, but if I wasn't doing anything creative, I would probably go into psychology. I've always been interested in how the mind works, and I actually considered going into counseling for awhile.

Thanx Melissa for taking time to share some insight on her process and art. "Garden of Shadows" opens October 3rd at Corey Helford Gallery 

 All the best Richard Scarry and The Chipster