Krystii Melaine

Mustang, oil on panel, 48″ x 48″

Krystii Melaine

( b. 1963)

Washington

http://www.krystiimelaine.com

Bio:

Announcing her decision to be an artist at age four, Australian-born Krystii Melaine pursued her creative passions throughout art school and a fashion design career. Five years studying traditional tonal realism focused her on portraiture, wildlife, and horses, which expanded to include Native Americans and cowboys upon her exploration of the American West. Krystii’s distinctive artistic voice combines the rich traditions of realism with abstract and modern themes. Numerous awards, magazine articles, and museum purchases and exhibitions attest to the quality of Krystii’s paintings.

Artist's Statement:

My inspiration is life in all its forms. I love painting portraits of people to tell their unique stories, whether carefully researched Native Americans, working cowboys, or commissioned portraits. Horses, wildlife, and flowers also entice me to capture their lives in a realistic style. In recent years, I’ve been taking my thoughts about life and life’s journeys to an abstract level, exploring ways to express my ideas with careful design but without realism to tell the story. These abstract works are influencing my approach to realism in turn, broadening my skills beyond pure representation to more nuanced visual stories.