Melanie’s paintings feel to me like they contain other worlds, and also evoke worlds from within. The earthy, deep quality of her Abstract Landscape series particularly spoke to me and after months of returning to her online gallery, I was thrilled to bring home Abstract Landscape No. 6. The minute I unpacked it, I felt it belonged on the altar in my living room rather that up on a wall. It’s become an interactive piece in my life, marking changing seasons and special milestones commemorated in that sacred space. If you have the chance to bring one of her works home, don’t hesitate! They contain magic.
I’m endlessly fascinated by the unique ways that people connect with art and place it in their homes. For instance, more and more often, I find myself wanting to touch my paintings! :) And not just mine, everyone else’s too!
Obviously I don’t/can’t always do it. I love going to museums and galleries and I’m sure that stroking the Joan Mitchell paintings I saw at SF MOMA would not have ended well, but if I bring a piece of art into my home it will definitely be “petted.”
When Kim Brotherton told me about the unique way that she connected with one of my abstract landscape paintings, I knew that I had to share that with you.
Side note: The large-scale print version of Abstract Landscape No. 6 titled Through the Depths provides a completely different experience than the original. I love that I can bring my art to people in a multitude of ways.
I loved learning about how you connected to Abstract Landscape No. 6 (print title Through The Depths) and gave it a special spot in your home. Will you tell me about that?
Yes, it was an unexpected experience, bringing Abstract Landscape No. 6 home. Even though I’d found a place on one of the walls in my house for the painting before it arrived, as soon as I unwrapped it I felt compelled to put it on my altar table. It just seemed to want to be there. This surprised me because I tend to think artwork belongs up on a wall or in a display case to be admired from a distance. I felt a bit uneasy having it somewhere things were placed around it and changing all the time – within reach. I worried that was somehow disrespectful, but I couldn’t seem to hang it on the wall.
This painting has a substantial, earthy quality I love, and also seems to contain a deep world that draws me in when I sit with it. That world seems to shift with the light in the room like the weather is changing there too.
We first met on Instagram when you were launching the ZODI Astrology Deck & Map. How did you get involved with that project and what led you to create the deck?
In 2017, I unexpectedly experienced a burst of creativity that brought new directions to my vocational life. I had found quite a lot of fulfillment in practicing psychotherapy for a couple of decades at that time, and one afternoon while talking with friends about a beloved hobby, astrology, we touched upon how difficult it was to talk in-depth about and hold its abstract complexity in mind. As an experiential learner and right-brained thinker, I wanted to develop a tangible and tactile way to understand astrology’s layers. Soon after, I partnered with my friend, astrologer, and photographer, Ash Bonelli, and we began creating our ZODI (short for zodiac) Collection: astrological card deck and tabletop map.
A wonderful side gift of creating ZODI has been finding and connecting with many wonderful creators who I’d not have met otherwise, you being one of them, Melanie!
Thank you so much, Kim! One of the things I’m most grateful for in being an artist is how I’ve “met” so many people through sharing my work.
In addition to co-creating the ZODI deck, you’re also a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and a web designer. I love that you meld several interests and practices in your work – my background is in psychology and marketing, and my first creative stops prior to painting were writing, graphic design, and photography. How do your interests relate to or influence each other?
Even a few years ago, I couldn’t have foreseen that I’d have this combination of work roles and three different businesses in my early 50s. I think a common thread connecting them is a passion for exploring who we authentically are, and how we might bring that to the greater good. In my psychotherapy practice, I support clients in finding their inner authenticity and charting a course in life from there. Much suffering can be caused when we live a life disconnected from one’s authentic self, primarily following the plans or expectations of outside forces rather than of inner knowing. Also, I think psychotherapy and web design work different parts of my brain in ways that feel like an energizing balance.
Astrology is a rich way to explore one’s inner world and discover what feels authentic to oneself. Being an entrepreneur has been an exciting challenge to take a beloved hobby to a higher level.
What else do you love to do?
I love experiencing spaces and places, whether they are of the natural world or human-made, that open my mind and broaden my horizons. For me, a well-lived life is about the journey. When I can, I love to travel, spend time in nature, and attempt to capture glimpses of these with my camera.
What’s important to you when you select art for your home?
The thing that drives me to want to bring a work of art home is hard to describe. I feel an ineffable connection to it or its creator at that given time. Art can transport us to other worlds — both inner and outer. Artworks feel like portals to me. Some hold meaning from a prior time or place in my life and may send me back to reflect, revisit, or internally reconnect to people and places from my past. Other works feel like windows to more timeless or future places outside of my history and life. These inspire curiosity, contemplation, and inner exploration. They comfort and also mesmerize. For me, your art is of this latter kind.
Thank you so much for your time, Kim!
Thank you for supporting my art and sharing my work.
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