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Bio

Melissa Mattis (b.1980) is a native Californian artist currently living in the Sacramento area. She attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in the late 90's and early 2000's where she majored in Fine Art painting and drawing. She was awarded "Best New Sculptor" in 2000 and "Best Abstract Painter" in 2008 at the Annual Academy of Art Spring Show. After attending the University she stepped away from her studio work to focus on family and small commission based work. Now Melissa has gotten back to her studio work focusing on more personal introspective work. She is heavily influenced by nature, wildlife, and interpersonal dynamics. While still primarily a oil painter, she has recently began to use textiles and found objects in her work.

Artist Statement

In my artistic exploration, I use the imagery of wildlife found in various stages if distress, death, and decay to convey the intricate relationships surrounding dating, rejection, malice, challenging partnerships and family dynamics. The deer serves as a personal metaphor for the feminine and emotional toll of difficult interactions.

My goal is to create a bridge between the inherent morbidity of the theme, beauty if material, and resilience of the human condition. I employ textiles, hides, sinew, and beads in my paintings to ass a tactile dimension and also evoke the historical significance of traditional gender roles. The intentional use of repurposed hides and hand made sinew echoes feminine sustainability and connection to the natural world.

Through this fusion, I aim to evoke empathy, contemplation of the complexities of relationships, and celebration of the strength it takes to find ones self. Using the beauty of the material to transform the narrative of the morbid subject matter into a reflection on the resilience and beauty working through interpersonal dynamics.

CV

Education:

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA

1999-2008

Juried Shows:

2024

Animal House -

Carmichael, CA

2019

American Rabbit Breeders Association Arts & Crafts-

Reno, NV

2008