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Melody Cleary

Melody lives in Beaverton, Oregon.

About the artist

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, I was an incessant doodler/drawer as a youngster, so visual arts & crafts held great appeal to me. I watched my father who, with his skillful hands and eyes, drew many designs for granite & marble memorials during his long engraving career in Portland. So, at the kitchen table next to him, I drew. A blue ribbon in 6th grade for a life drawing of a teacher was encouragement and my mother enrolled me in drawing & oil painting classes at a local art center during my high school years which culminated in a Best of Show ribbon at my high school art competition. That early motivation inspired me to continue exploring art. As a working adult in small business accounting and motherhood, I moonlighted by taking classes at community college and local art schools in life drawing, palette knife oil painting, watercolor, acrylic and basic design. After early retirement in 2000, I devoted my time to continued media and color exploration with acrylics, watercolors and collage.

Artist statement

I convey, through my art, my emotional response to color and design in nature and our world. I love traditional landscape or still life as well as abstract painting or collage and the process of allowing a work to just evolve not knowing where it will end up. Some works on paper find new life and contribute a piece to an abstract collage. Acrylic media is currently predominant in my work due to it's incredible flexibility & quick drying properties. From traditional brush & knife painting to creating acrylic stained & textured tissue paper for collage, I find that going back and forth between two creative methods keeps me intrigued, my work fresh and constantly evolving.
 

Visit Melody Cleary's website.