The Artist

ARTIST’S STATEMENT
My deep connection with the Earth’s beauty and with Mother Nature started early in my life. I was nurtured by a warm, loving family and by a rich ancestry from the Acadian culture of Louisiana. My belief in the divine truths found in Nature compelled me to search for spirituality and mystery in the compositions I created.

Working in oils and acrylics, I strove to relate the ethereal elements from my visual memories of my surrounding environment. Each piece often became something other than the idea I first perceived. Detail was secondary to the overall result and as the concept evolved, the many layers of paint, color, line and texture brought my paintings to life for the viewer to appreciate and relish.

My experimental nature pulled me in many directions, yet the Old World masters and the Modernists were the strongest forces that inspired me. Cezanne, Matisse, Manet and Diebenkorn were some of my favorites. Since the late eighties, after I closed Galerie Melancon, the art gallery I had founded and had run successfully for almost a decade, I have focused on landscapes as subjects with an occasional still life or figurative work. While I am always involved in social and environmental causes, my constant return to making art and the solitude and total involvement in the process feed my creative spirit, since it comes from within.

The medium of pastel is relatively new to my approach to painting. Pastels have become a formidable way for me to be more spontaneous and at the same time have helped me to hone my drawing technique and skills, since that medium is more demanding in terms of details and shapes.

MISSION STATEMENT
It seems the world needs reminding as to how important art and the natural environment are to our quality of life and spiritual nourishment. I feel in order to unify our communities the message of fine art and fine crafts needs to be a priority. I want my art to convey that message. There are many ways for us to stay connected and to convey to one another the natural beauty that surrounds us. The use of new technologies can be a great asset. I want those who see my art to share the feelings of ethereal beauty, mystery and spirituality that inspired me to create it. Thus, I hope that a mystical bond will be created between me and my viewer so that we can share the ongoing experience of Divine Creation together.

Contact information:

Louisiana
583 Santa Anna Drive
Lake Charles
Louisiana, 70611
(337) 855-6766 (Studio)
(337) 802-1224 (Cell phone)

New Mexico
P.O. Box 2618
Taos, New Mexico 87571
(505) 751-0031 (Studio)
(505) 779-0317 (Cell phone)
Email: amelarts@ yahoo.com

CAREER COURSE

Works in oil, acrylics, pastels, mixed media and commission

EDUCATION

• 1959-60, 1997 Studied in Paris, France
• 1982 McNeese State University, Lake Charles, Louisiana, BA Degree with a major in Fine Arts.
• 1998 Vermont Art Studio, Residency
• 1999 Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain, A Betty Edwards Workshop
• 1999-2005 Various Other Workshops In Lake Charles, Louisiana and Taos, NM

EXPERIENCE

• 1983-1993 Founder and owner, Galerie Melancon, Lake Charles, Louisiana. Successfully collected and sold works of art, American crafts and fine art
• 1982-2005 Painted in oils, acrylics and mixed media and did commissions

SHOWS AND EXHIBITS

• 2004-2005 LeMieux Galleries, New Orleans, Louisiana
• 2004 Open Studio Showing, Taos, New Mexico
• 2004-2005 Lumina Gallery, Taos, New Mexico
• 2001 One Woman Show, “Spirit Trees”, Art Associates Gallery, Lake Charles
• 1998-2005 Artisans Gallery, Lake Charles, Louisiana, Ongoing (Masterworks)
• 1997 Beaumont Art League (Juried Exhibit)
• 1995 Group Art Exhibit, Zigler Museum, Jennings, Louisiana
• 1982 One Woman Senior Show, McNeese State University

ARTS AND HUMANITIES BOARDS:

• 1978 - 1982 Board Member, South West Louisiana, Arts and Humanities Council
• 1988-90 Juror, Louisiana Crafts Program
• 1991-2000 Board Member and Executive Committee, Louisiana State Arts Council

COLLECTIONS:

Works by the artist are in numerous private collections in Baton Rouge, Lake Charles and New Orleans, Louisiana, Houston, Texas and in New Mexico, North Carolina and New York.

STUDIOS:

Recent works by the artist and works in progress can be seen by appointment at the artist’s studios at:

583 Santa Anna Drive, Lake Charles, Louisiana

or

375 Upper Ranchitos Road, Taos, New Mexico.

 

"Painting architecture, as in the historical St.Francis of Assisi Church at Ranchos De Taos, had benefits from the eye of the camera. Catching the cast shadow of the cross on the northern buttress of the church in a photo on a winter morning gave me inspiration to put  that image on canvas.  My passion for seeking the light was and will always be at the center of my creative spirit."