MULTI-DISCIPLINARY CREATIVE. PISCES. SWIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE.

Melisah May holds a Bachelors Degree in Natural History Illustration and Fine Arts Teaching and has been maintaining her art practice for over a decade. After a formative stint in London, working heavily on her painting practice and teaching Art, she returned to Newcastle, NSW to pursue both paths further in 2012. Since then she has been making work and exhibiting locally on a regular basis. A semi finalist in the Doug Moran prize, May's creative use of contrasting brushwork that explores both detailed representational forms alongside a more expressive application of paint, give her work a unique depth and appearance that challenges traditional oil painting styles. Currently she is reimagining her subjects as more abstracted forms, exploring the possibilities of shape, colour and texture to tease out memory and amplify and enrich her studio practice.

My art is a celebration of the captivating and diverse elements of nature, human interaction and domesticity that surround me. Water is a constant theme in my work, both literally and allegorically. Through my studio practice, I aim to reveal the memory and emotional attachment of each subject through the physical application paint, which holds its own significance and inspiration for me personally.

Combining technical skill with emotional resonance, my art invites viewers to pause, reflect, and appreciate the beauty and diversity of their own surroundings. I hope to inspire curiosity, provoke thought, and create moments of connection through my paintings. - Melisah May