Melissa Whitaker

Painting nourishes my soul and occasionally, I must feed that part of me. Intense emotions are often aroused when I return to a canvas with a brush in hand. There are aspects to paint that cannot be replicated in drawings or in digital art--- the thickness, texture, strokes, the effect gravity plays on the surface and the chaos that can occur. Several of my paintings are an attempt to control the chaos. Sometimes it works and I feel the power, sometimes chaos wins and I say, “Well, that didn’t work,” and I begin again. I will keep going until I am content with it. A friend once inquired about my artwork, “Is it good enough?” The fact is it is the dissatisfaction of the art that pushes me to do more.

In recent years the nerd in me has delved into digital art. The combination of drawing and painting on my iPad with the Apple Pencil has opened up a brand new world for me. It allows me to get a bit more detailed in my work with facial expressions and to illustrate scenes that can not be replicated as intensely with traditional mediums. Each time I pick up a print of my digital work from the printers I am amazed by the luminosity of the art that comes out in the printing.

I work in several different mediums from ink, graphic, acrylic, oil, digital, and photography. I have found that they each feed off the other and inspires me to experiment and grow. It is the growth and flexibility that I thrive on and propels me to keep playing. I do not see art as work. I get paid for playing. How wonderful is that?