TITLE: UNKNOWN
ARTIST: MELANIE LACKI

"Although I have been actively involved with painting, teaching and community service throughout the past thirty years, the last ten years have been some of the most productive of my career, as I concentrated primarily on my painting. With new-found freedom of time and energy, I was afforded the luxury of painting and expressing myself in the manner that pleases me. Many of the new subjects I explored were stimulated by the traveling I have been able to do in the recent past. Next to my fine arts training at the California College of the Arts, the museums have been my classroom.

"I am often asked, "Why were you inspired to paint this particular subject?" You have to be touched by the subject emotionally, physically or spiritually and sometimes, if you’re lucky, all three. Each painting dictates which style and medium in which it needs to be painted. I love when I have the time to paint on location. Usually I will make small painting studies and take photographs of the subject on location then complete a finished full-size painting in my studio. I like to display the studies with the finished pieces."

Melanie was accepted in her first national art exhibition in 1979. To date her work has been displayed in numerous prestigious national and international exhibitions, including The National Watercolor Society Annual Exhibitions, The Midwest Watercolor Society Annual Exhibitions, The Watercolor West Annual Watercolor Exhibitions and more. In addition to the awards she has earned, Melanie has been included in a number of books on painting.